UCSB  LIBRARY 


THE 

ITALIAN 
COOK  BOOK 

The  Art  of  Eating  Well 


PRACTICAL  RECIPES 

OF  THE 

ITALIAN  CUISINE 


COMPILED   BY 

MRS.    MARIA    GENTILE 


ITALIAN     BOOK    CO. 

NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT  1919 

BY 
ITALIAN  BOOK  CO. 


PREFACE 

One  of  the  beneficial  results  of  the  Great  War 
has  been  the  teaching  of  thrift  to  the  American 
housewife.  For  patriotic  reasons  and  for  reasons 
of  economy,  more  attention  has  been  bestowed 
upon  the  preparing  and  cooking  of  food  that  is 
to  be  at  once  palatable,  nourishing  and  econo- 
mical. 

In  the  Italian  cuisine  we  find  in  the  highest 
degree  these  three  qualities.  That  it  is  palatable, 
all  those  who  have  partaken  of  food  in  an  Italian 
trattoria  or  at  the  home  of  an  Italian  family  can 
testify,  that  it  is  healthy  the  splendid  manhood 
and  womanhood  of  Italy  is  a  proof  more  than 
sufficient.  And  who  could  deny,  knowing  the 
thriftiness  of  the  Italian  race,  that  it  is  economi- 
cal? 

It  has  therefore  been  thought  that  a  book  of 
PRACTICAL  RECIPES  OF  THE  ITALIAN 
CUISINE  could  be  offered  to  the  American  public 
with  hope  of  success.  It  is  not  a  pretentious  book, 
and  the  recipes  have  been  made  as  clear  and  sim- 
ple as  possible.  Some  of  the  dishes  described  are 
not  peculiar  to  Italy.  All,  however,  are  representa- 
tive of  the  Cucina  Casalinga  of  the  peninsular 
Kingdom,  which  is  not  the  least  product  of  a  lov- 
able and  simple  people,  among  whom  the  art  of 
living  well  and  getting  the  most  out  of  life  at 
a  moderate  expense  has  been  attained  to  a  very 
high  degree. 


1 

BROTH  OR  SOUP  STOCK 
(Brodo) 

To  obtain  good  broth  the  meat  must  be  put  in 
cold  water,  and  then  allowed  to  boil  slow- 
ly. Add  to  the  meat  some  pieces  of  bones  and 
"soup  greens"  as,  for  instance,  celery,  carrots 
and  parsley.  To  give  a  brown  color  to  the  broth, 
some  sugar,  first  browned  at  the  fire,  then  diluted 
in  cold  water,  may  be  added. 

While  it  is  not  considered  that  the  broth  has 
much  nutritive  power,  it  is  excellent  to  promote 
the  digestion.  Nearly  all  the  Italian  soups  are 
made  on  a  basis  of  broth. 

A  good  recipe  for  substantial  broth  to  be  used 
for  invalids  is  the  following:  Cut  some  beef  in 
thin  slices  and  place  them  in  a  large  saucepan; 
add  some  salt.  Pour  cold  water  upon  them,  so 
that  they  are  entirely  covered.  Cover  the  sauce- 
pan so  that  it  is  hermetically  closed  and  place 
on  the  cover  a  receptacle  containing  water,  which 
must  be  constantly  renewed.  Keep  on  a  low  fire 
for  six  hours,  then  on  a  strong  fire  for  ten  min- 
utes. Strain  the  liquid  in  cheese  cloth. 


The  soup  stock,  besides  being  used  for  soups, 
is  a  necessary  ingredient  in  hundreds  of  Italian 
dishes. 


SOUP  OF  "CAPPELLETTI" 

This  Soup  is  called  of  "Cappelletti"  or  "little 
hats"  on  account  of  the  shape  of  the  "Cappellet- 
ti." 

First  a  thin  sheet  of  paste  is  made  according  to 
the  following  directions: 

The  best  and  most  tender  paste  is  made  simply 
of  eggs,  flour  and  salt,  water  may  be  substituted 
for  part  of  the  eggs,  for  economy,  or  when  a  less 
rich  paste  is  needed.  Allow  about  a  cup  of 
flour  to  an  egg.  Put  the  flour  on  a  bread  board, 
make  a  hollow  in  the  middle  and  break  in  the  egg. 
Use  any  extra  whites  that  are  on  hand.  Knead 
it  thoroughly,  adding  more  flour  if  necessary, 
until  you  have  a  paste  you  can  roll  out.  Roll  it 
as  thin  as  an  eighth  of  an  inch.  A  long  rolling 
pin  is  necessary,  but  any  stick,  well  scrubbed  and 
sand  papered,  will  serve  in  lieu  of  the  long  Italian 
rolling  pin. 

Cut  from  this  sheet  of  paste  rounds  measuring 
about  three  inches  in  diameter.  In  the  middle  of 
each  circle  place  a  spoonful  of  filling  that  must 
be  made  beforehand,  composed  of  cooked  meat 
(chicken,  pork  or  veal)  ground  very  fine  and 
seasoned  with  grated  cheese,  grated  lemon  peel, 


nutmeg,  allspice,  salt.  The  ground  meat  is  to 
be  mixed  with  an  equal  amount  of  curds  or  cot- 
tage cheese. 

When  the  filling  is  placed  in  the  circle  of  paste, 
fold  the  latter  over  and  moisten  the  edge  of  the 
paste  with  the  finger  dipped  in  water  to  make  it 
stay  securely  closed. 

These  cappelletti  should  be  cooked  in  chicken 
or  beef  broth  until  the  paste  is  tender,  and  served 
with  this  broth  as  a  soup. 


BREAD  SOUP 

(Panata) 

This  excellent  and  nutritious  soup  is  a  godsend 
for  using  the  stale  bread  that  must  never  again 
be  thrown  away.  It  is  composed  of  bread  crumbs 
and  grated  bread,  eggs,  grated  cheese,  nutmeg 
(in  very  small  quantity)  and  salt,  all  mixed  to- 
gether and  put  in  broth  previously  prepared, 
which  must  be  warm  at  the  moment  of  the  im- 
mersion, but  not  at  the  boiling  point.  Then  place 
it  on  a  low  fire  and  stir  gently.  Any  vegetable 
left  over  may  be  added. 

4 

GNOCCHI 

This  is  an  excellent  soup,  but  as  it  requires 
boiled  or  roast  breast  of  chicken  or  turkey  it  is 

7 


well  to  make  it  only  \vhen  these  ingredients  are 
handy. 

Prepare  a  certain  quantity  of  boiled  potatoes, 
the  mealy  kind  being  preferred.  Mash  the 
potatoes  and  mix  them  with  chicken  or  tur- 
key breast  well  ground,  grated  cheese  (Parme- 
san or  Swiss),  two  or  more  yolks  of  eggs,  salt 
and  a  small  quantity  of  nutmeg.  Pour  the  com- 
pound on  the  bread  board  with  a  quantity  of  flour 
sufficient  to  make  a  paste  and  roll  it  in  little  sticks 
as  thick  as  the  small  finger.  Cut  the  sticks  in  lit- 
tle pieces  about  half  an  inch  long  and  put  them 
in  boiling  water.  Five  or  six  minutes'  cooking 
will  be  sufficient. 

5 
VEGETABLE  SOUP 

(Zuppa  Sante) 

Any  kind  of  vegetables  may  be  used  for  this 
soup:  carrots,  celery,  cabbage,  turnips,  onions, 
potatoes,  spinach,  the  outside  leaves  of  lettuce 
or  greens  of  any  variety. 

Select  three  or  four  kind  of  vegetables,  shred  or 
chop  coarsely  cabbage  or  greens,  and  slice  or  cut 
in  cubes  the  root  vegetables.  Put  them  over  the 
fire  with  a  small  quantity  of  cooking  oil  or  butter 
substitute,  and  let  them  fry  until  they  have  ab- 
sorbed the  fat.  Then  add  broth  and  cook  until 
the  vegetables  are  very  tender.  Fry  croutons  of 
stale  bread  in  oil  and  serve  them  in  the  soup. 

8 


o 

QUEEN'S  SOUP 
(Zuppa  Regina) 

This  is  made  with  the  white  meat  of  chicken, 
which  is  to  be  ground  in  a  meat  grinder  together 
with  blanched  almonds  (5  or  6)  for  one  quart 
of  chicken,  stock.  To  the  meat  and  almond  add 
some  bread  crumbs,  first  soaked  in  milk  or  broth, 
in  the  proportion  of  about  one  fifth  of  the  quan- 
tity of  the  meat.  All  these  ingredients  are  to  be 
rubbed  to  a  very  smooth  paste  and  hot  broth  is 
to  be  added  to  them.  If  you  wish  the  soup  to  be 
richer  and  have  a  more  milky  consistency,  use 
the  yolk  of  an  egg,  which  should  be  beaten,  and 
have  a  few  tablespoonfuls  of  hot  broth  stirred  into 
it  before  adding  to  the  soup.  Do  not  let  the  soup 
boil  after  the  egg  is  added  or  it  will  curdle. 

One  slice  of  stale  bread  may  be  cut  into  cubes, 
fried  in  deep  fat,  and  the  croutons  put  in  the  soup. 
Send  it  to  the  table  with  a  dish  of  grated  cheese. 

7 
BEAN  SOUP 

(Zuppa  di  fagiuoli) 

One  cup  of  dried  beans,  kidney,  navy  or  lima 
is  to  be  soaked  over  night.  Then  boil  until  ten- 
der. It  is  preferable  to  put  the  beans  to  cook  in 
cold  water  with  a  pinch  of  soda.  When  they  come 
to  boil,  pour  off  this  water  and  add  fresh. 

9 


Chop  fine  !/i  onion,  one  clove  of  garlic,  one 
sprig  of  parsley  and  one  piece  of  celery  and  put 
them  to  fry  in  j/£  CUP  of  oil  with  salt  and  a  gene- 
rous amount  of  pepper.  When  the  vegetables  are 
a  delicate  brown  add  to  them  two  cups  of  the 
broth  from  the  beans  and  1  cup  of  tomatoes  (can- 
ned or  fresh).  Let  all  come  to  a  boil  and  pour 
the  mixture  into  the  kettle  of  beans  from  which 
some  of  the  water  has  been  drained,  if  they  are 
very  liquid.  This  soup  may  be  served  as  it  is  or 
rubbed  through  a  sieve  before  serving.  Croutons 
or  triangles  of  dry  toast  make  an  excellent  addi- 
tion. 

The  bean  soup  is  made  without  meat  or  chi- 
cken broth,  and  it  belongs  consequently  to  that 
class  of  soup  called  by  the  Italians  "Minestra  di 
Magro"  or  "lean  soup,  to  be  served  preferably 
on  Friday  and  other  days  in  which  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  prohibits  the  use  of  meats. 

8 

LENTIL  SOUP 
(Zuppa  di  lenticchie) 

The  lentil  soup  is  prepared  in  the  same  way 
as  the  bean  soup,  only  substituting  lentils  for 
beans.  A  good  combination  is  that  of  lentils  and 
rice.  The  nutritive  qualities  of  the  lentils  are  not 
sufficiently  known  in  this  country,  but  all  books 
on  dietetics  speak  very  highly  of  them. 

10 


9 
VEGETABLE  CHOWDER 

(Minestrone  alia  Milanese) 

Cut  off  the  rind  of  ]/i  Ib.  salt  pork  and  put  it 
into  two  quarts  of  water  to  boil.  Cut  off  a  small 
slice  of  the  pork  and  beat  it  to  a  paste  with  two 
or  three  sprigs  of  parsley,  a  little  celery  and  one 
kernel  of  garlic.  Add  this  paste  to  the  pork  and 
water.  Slice  two  carrots,  cut  the  rib  out  of  the 
leaves  of  Y^  medium  sized  cabbage.  Add  the 
carrots,  cabbage  leaves,  other  vegetables,  season- 
ing and  butter  to  the  soup,  and  let  it  boil  slowly 
for  2  ]/2  hours.  The  last  j/2  hour  add  one  small 
handful  of  rice  for  each  person. 

When  the  pork  is  very  soft,  remove  and  slice 
in  little  ribbons  and  put  it  back. 

The  minestrone  is  equally  good  eaten  cold. 

10 
RAVIOLI 

Put  on  the  bread  board  about  two  pounds  of 
flour  in  a  heap ;  make  a  hollow  in  the  middle  and 
put  in  it  a  piece  of  butter,  three  egg-yolks, 
salt  and  three  or  four  tablespoonf uls  of  lukewarm 
water.  Make  a  paste  and  knead  it  well,  then  let 
it  stand  for  an  hour,  wrapped  or  covered  with  a 
linen  cloth.  Then  spread  the  paste  to  a  thin  sheet, 
as  thin  as  a  ten-cent  piece, 

11 


Chop  and  grind  pieces  of  roast  or  boiled  chi- 
cken meat:  add  to  it  an  equal  part  of  marrow 
from  the  bones  of  beef  and  pieces  of  brains,  three 
yolks,  some  crumbs  of  bread  soaked  in  milk  or 
broth  and  some  grated  cheese  (Parmesan  or 
Swiss).  Rub  through  a  sieve  and  make  little  balls 
as  big  as  a  hazel-nut,  which  are  to  be  placed  at 
equal  distances  (a  little  more  than  an  inch)  in 
a  line  over  the  sheet  of  paste. 

Beat  a  whole  egg  and  pass  it  over  the  paste 
with  a  brush  all  around  the  little  balls.  Cover 
these  with  another  sheet  of  paste,  press  down  the 
intervals  between  each  ball,  and  then  separate 
each  section  from  the  other  with  a  knife.  Moisten 
the  edges  of  each  section  with  the  finger  dipped 
in  cold  water,  to  make  them  stick  together,  and 
press  them  down  with  the  fingers  or  the  prongs  of 
a  fork.  Then  put  to  boil  in  water  seasoned  with 
salt  or,  better  still,  in  broth.  The  ravioli  are 
then  to  be  served  hot  seasoned  with  cheese  and 
butter  or  with  brown  stock  or  tomato  sauce. 

11 

PAVESE  SOUP 
(Zuppa  alia  Pavese) 

Cut  as  many  thin  slices  of  bread  as  are  needed 
in  order  that  each  person  may  have  at  least  two 
of  them.  These  slices  are  then  to  be  toasted  and 
browned  with  butter.  Poach  two  eggs  for  each 

12 


person,  one  on  each  slice  of  bread  and  place  the 
slices  on  a  large  and  deep  dish  (not  in  a  soup 
tureen).  Pour  hot  broth  in  the  plate,  taking  care 
not  to  break  the  eggs,  season  with  Parmesan  or 
Swiss  cheese,  and  serve. 

PASTE 

SPAGHETTI,  MACARONI  ETC. 
(Pasta  Asciutta) 

The  Italians  serve  the  spaghetti  or  macaroni 
at  the  beginning  of  the  meal,  in  place  of  soup,  and 
they  give  it  the  name  of  Minestra  Asciutta  or 
"dry"  soup.  Besides  the  familiar  spaghetti,  the 
paste  is  served  in  many  other  forms  and  with 
different  seasoning.  This  is  by  far  the  most 
popular  Italian  dish,  and  it  seems  to  have  pleas- 
ed the  taste  of  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth. 
The  highly  nutritive  qualities  of  spaghetti  and  of 
cheese,  their  indispensable  condiment,  have  been 
recognized  by  all  diet  authorities  and,  as  for  its 
palatableness,  the  lovers  of  spaghetti  are  just  as 
enthusiastic  and  numerous  outside  of  Italy  as 
within  the  boundaries  of  that  blessed  country. 
The  most  popular  seasoning  for  spaghetti,  are 
tomato  sauce,  brown  stock  and  anchovy  sauce. 
The  description  of  these  three  condiments  fol- 
lows: 


13 


12 
TOMATO  SAUCE 

(Salsa  di  Pomidoro) 

Chop  together,  fine,  one  quarter  of  an  onion,  a 
clove  of  garlic,  a  piece  of  celery  as  long  as  your 
finger,  a  few  bay  leaves  and  just  enough  parsley. 
Season  with  a  little  oil,  salt  and  pepper,  cut  up 
seven  or  eight  tomatoes  and  put  everything  over 
the  fire  together.  Stir  it  from  time  to  time  and 
when  you  see  the  juice  condensing  into  a  thin 
custard  strain  through  a  sieve,  and  it  is  ready 
for  use. 

When  fresh  tomatoes  are  not  available  the 
tomato  paste  may  be  used.  This  is  a  concentra- 
ted paste  made  from  tomatoes  and  spices  which 
is  to  be  had,  at  all  Italian  grocers',  now 
so  numerous  in  all  American  cities.  Thinned 
with  water,  it  is  a  much  used  ingredient  in  Italian 
recipes.  Catsup  and  concentrated  tomato  soup 
do  not  make  satisfactory  substitutes  as  they  are 
too  sweet  in  flavor.  Of  course  canned  tomatoes 
seasoned  with  salt  and  a  bit  of  bay  leaf,  can  al- 
ways be  used  instead  of  fresh  tomatoes. 

This  sauce  serves  many  purposes.  It  is  good 
on  boiled  meat;  excellent  to  dress  macaroni,  spa- 
ghetti or  other  pastes  which  have  been  seasoned 
with  butter  and  cheese,  or  on  boiled  rice  seasoned 
in  the  same  way  (see  Risotto).  Mushrooms  are 
a  fine  addition  to  it. 

14 


When  using  concentrated  paste  the  following 
recipes  will  be  found  to  give  good  results : 

Chop  one  onion,  one  carrot  and  a  celery  stalk: 
form  a  little  bunch  of  parsley  and  other  aromatic 
greens  and  put  everything  to  brown  in  a  saucepan 
together  with  a  piece  of  butter.  Add  a  reason- 
able portion  of  tomato  paste  while  cooking,  stir 
and  keep  on  a  low  fire  until  the  sauce  assumes 
the  necessary  consistency. 

13 
BROWN  STOCK 

(Sugo  di  Came) 

Cover  the  bottom  of  a  saucepan  with  thin  slices 
of  beef  taken  from  a  juicy  cut  and  small  pieces 
of  salt  pork.  Place  over  a  large  onion,  one  car- 
rot, and  a  stalk  of  celery,  all  chopped  in  small 
pieces.  Add  some  butter  and  cover  the  whole 
with  any  trimmings  from  steaks  or  roasts  and 
any  bit  of  left  over  cooked  meat.  Season  with 
salt  and  cloves.  Put  over  the  fire  without  stirr- 
ing. When  you  smell  the  onions  getting  very 
brown,  turn  the  meat  and  when  everything  is 
quite  brown  add  a  cup  of  water,  renewing  the 
latter  three  times.  Finally  add  a  certain  quan- 
tity of  boiling  water  or,  better  still,  of  broth,  and 
let  it  boil  gently  five  or  six  hours.  Strain,  cool 
and  skim  off  the  fat  which  will  form  a  cake  on 
top  of  the  liquid. 

15 


The  meat  can  be  used  afterward  for  meat  balls 
or  Croquettes.  The  stock  may  be  kept  for  some 
days  and  forms  the  basis  for  many  dishes. 

14 
ANCHOVY  SAUCE 

(Salsa  d'Acciughe) 

This  recipe  does  not  call  for  the  filets  of  an- 
chovies prepared  for  hors  d'ceuvre,  but  the  less 
expensive  and  larger  whole  anchovies  in  salt  to 
be  had  in  bulk  or  cans  at  large  dealers.  Wash 
them  thoroughly  in  plenty  of  water.  Remove 
head,  toil,  backbone  and  skin  and  they  are  ready 
for  use. 

Put  five  or  six  anchovies  into  a  colander  and 
dip  quickly  into  boiling  water  to  loosen  the  skins, 
remove  the  salt,  skin  and  bone  them.  Chop 
them  and  put  over  the  fire  in  a  saucepan  with  a 
generous  quantity  of  oil  and  some  pepper.  Do 
not  let  them  boil,  but  when  they  are  hot  add  two 
tablespoons  of  butter  and  three  or  four  table- 
spoons of  concentrated  tomato  juice  made  by 
cooking  down  canned  tomatoes  and  rubbing 
through  a  sieve.  When  this  sauce  is  used  to  season 
spaghetti,  these  must  be  boiled  in  water  that  is 
only  slightly  salted  and  care  must  be  taken  not  to 
let  them  become  too  soft.  The  quantities  above 
mentioned  ought  to  be  sufficient  for  about  one 
pound  of  spaghetti. 

16 


15 

SPAGHETTI  OR  MACARONI  WITH 

BUTTER  AND  CHEESE 

(Pasta  al  burro  e  formaggio) 

This  is  the  simplest  form  in  which  the  spaghetti 
may  be  served,  and  it  is  generally  reserved  for 
the  thickest  paste.  The  spaghetti  are  to  be  boiled 
until  tender  in  salted  water,  taking  care  to  remove 
them  when  tender,  and  not  cooked  until  they  lose 
form.  They  should  not  be  put  into  the  water 
until  this  is  at  a  boiling  point. 

Take  as  much  macaroni  as  will  half  fill  the 
dish  in  which  it  is  to  be  served.  Break  into  pieces 
two  and  a  half  to  three  inches  long  if  you  so  de- 
sire. The  Italians  leave  them  unbroken,  but  their 
skill  in  turning  them  around  the  fork  and  eating 
them  is  not  the  privilege  of  everybody.  Put  the 
macaroni  into  salted  boiling  water,  and  boil 
twelve  to  fifteen  minutes,  or  until  the  macaroni 
is  perfectly  soft.  Stir  frequently  to  prevent  the 
macaroni  from  adhering  to  the  bottom.  Turn 
it  into  a  colander  to  drain;  then  put  it  into  a 
pudding-dish  with  a  generous  quantity  of  butter 
and  grated  cheese.  If  more  cheese  is  liked,  it 
can  be  brought  to  the  table  so  that  the  guests  can 
help  themselves  to  it. 

The  macaroni  called  "Mezzani"  which  is  a 
name  designating  size,  not  quality,  is  the  prefer- 
able kind  for  macaroni  dishes  made  with  butter 
and  cheese. 

17 


16 

MACARONI  WITH  SAUCE 
(Maccheroni  al  sugo) 

The  most  appreciated  kind  of  macaroni  are 
those  seasoned  with  tomato  sauce  or  with  brown 
stock  (see  nos.  12  and  13).  The  macaroni  are 
boiled  as  above,  then  drained  in  a  colander,  re- 
turned to  the  saucepan  and  mixed  with  the  sauce 
and  grated  cheese.  For  those  who  like  it  some 
butter  may  be  added  in  the  mixing. 

17 

MACARONI  WITH  ANCHOVY  SAUCE 
(Maccheroni  con  salsa  d'acciughe) 

After  the  paste  is  drained  thoroughly  it  is  to 
be  put  into  the  hot  dish  in  which  it  is  to  be  ser- 
ved and  the  anchovy  sauce  poured  over  it  and 
well  mixed  with  two  silver  forks  until  the  sauce 
has  gone  all  through  it.  Some  olive  oil  may  be 
added,  but  grated  cheese  is  not  generally  used 
with  the  anchovy  sauce. 

18 
MACARONI  A  LA  CORINNA 

(Maccheroni  alia  Corinna) 

Put  on  the  fire  a  pot  with  two  quarts  of  salted 
water  to  which  add  a  small  piece  of  butter.  When 
it  begins  to  boil  put  in  it  24  Ib.  macaroni.  Let 

18 


it  boil  for  five  minutes,  then  drain  them  in  a  co- 
lander. Put  them  again  in  new  boiling  water, 
prepared  as  above  and  let  them  cook  on  a  slow 
fire.  Drain  them  again.  Cover  the  bottom  of 
a  plate  with  macaroni  and  cover  this  first  layer 
with  grated  cheese  and  with  some  vegetables  in 
macedoine,  that  is,  chopped  fine  and  fried  brown 
with  butter.  Repeat  the  draining,  moisten  the 
macaroni  with  the  water  in  which  they  have  pre- 
viously cooked  and  keep  on  a  low  fire  for  ten 
minutes  more. 

The  Macedoine  of  vegetables  can  be  made 
with  a  dozen  Bruxelles  sprouts  or  one  cabbage, 
half  a  dozen  big  asparagus  cut  in  little  pieces,  a 
carrot  cut  in  thin  slices,  a  dozen  small  onions, 
some  turnips  and  half  a  dozen  mushrooms.  The 
mushrooms  and  the  asparagus  can  be  omitted. 
Melt  some  butter  in  a  saucepan  and  when  the 
turnips,  the  carrots  and  the  onions  are  half  cook- 
ed, add  the  cabbage  or  sprouts.  Put  in  some  water 
and  some  more  butter,  boil  for  ten  minutes  and 
then  add  the  mushrooms  and  the  asparagus,  add- 
ing salt  and  pepper,  and  a  little  sugar  if  this  is 
desired. 

19 

MACARONI  "AU  GRATIN" 
(Maccheroni  al  gratin) 

Boil  the  macaroni  in  salted  water  until  tender 
and  drain  them.  Butter  slightly  a  fireproof  casse- 

19 


role  and  lay  on  the  bottom  some  grated  cheese 
and  grated  bread.  Alternate  the  layers  of  cheese 
with  macaroni  and  on  the  top  layer  of  macaroni 
put  more  cheese  and  bread  grated.  Over  the 
whole  pour  some  melted  butter,  cover  the  casse- 
role, (or  pyrex  plate)  and  put  it  in  the  oven  with 
a  low  fire.  Keep  for  ten  minutes  or  more,  until 
the  top  appears  browned. 

20 
MACARONI  NAPOLITAINE 

(Maccheroni  alia  Napoletana) 

Grind  '/4  lb.  salt  pork  or  bacon  and  fry  it  out 
in  a  saucepan.  While  it  is  frying  put  one  small 
onion  through  the  grinder.  As  soon  as  the  pork 
begins  to  brown  add  the  onion,  the  parsley  chop- 
ped, a  clove  (or  small  section)  of  garlic  shred- 
ded fine,  and  a  few  dried  mushrooms  which  have 
been  softened  by  soaking  in  warm  water.  When 
the  vegetables  are  very  brown  (great  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  burn  the  onion,  which  scorches 
very  easily)  add  ]/2  Mb.  round  steak  ground 
coarsely  or  cut  up  in  little  cubes.  When  the  meat 
is  a  good  brown  color,  add  some  fresh  or  canned 
tomatoes  or  half  a  tablespoonful  of  tomato  paste 
and  simmer  slowly  until  all  has  cooked  down  to 
a  thick  creamy  sauce.  It  will  probably  take  24 
hour.  The  sauce  may  be  bound  together  with  a 
little  flour  if  it  shows  a  tendency  to  separate. 

20 


This  sauce  is  used  to  dress  all  kinds  of  maca- 
roni and  spaghetti,  also  for  boiled  rice  (see  Ri- 
sotto). The  macaroni  or  spaghetti  should  be 
left  unbroken  when  cooked.  If  they  are  too  long 
to  fit  in  the  kettle  immerse  one  end  in  the  boiling 
salted  water  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  the  ends 
of  the  spaghetti  under  the  water  will  become  soft- 
ened so  that  the  rest  can  be  pushed  down  into  the 
kettle.  Be  careful  not  to  overcook  it,  and  it  will 
not  be  pasty,  but  firm  and  tender.  Drain  it  care- 
fully and  put  in  a  hot  soup  tureen.  Sprinkle  a 
handful  of  grated  cheese  over  it  and  pour  on  the 
sauce.  Lift  with  two  forks  until  thoroughly 
mixed. 

21 
MACARONI  FRIED  WITH  OIL 

(Maccheroni  all' olio) 

After  the  macaroni  have  boiled  drain  them  and 
put  them  in  a  saucepan  in  which  some  good  olive 
oil  has  already  boiled,  with  a  clove  of  garlic  chop- 
ped fine.  Let  the  paste  fry,  taking  care  that  it 
doesn't  stick  to  the  bottom  of  the  saucepan,  and 
when  it  is  well  browned  on  one  side,  turn  it 
to  have  the  other  side  browned.  Serve  the  ma- 
caroni very  hot.  Add  no  cheese. 


21 


.  22 

RISOTTO  MILANAISE 
(Risotto  alia  Milanese) 

Melt  a  small  piece  of  butter  in  a  saucepan. 
Brown  in  the  butter  a  medium  sized  onion,  cut 
in  thin  slices.  When  the  onion  is  browned,  take 
it  away  from  the  saucepan  and  add  little  by  little 
the  rice,  stirring  it  with  a  wooden  spoon.  Every 
time  that  the  rice  becomes  dry,  add  some  hot  broth 
(or  hot  water)  until  the  rice  is  completely  cook- 
ed. Add  salt  and  pepper  and  a  little  saffron,  if 
you  like  it. 

When  the  rice  is  almost  cooked,  add  to  it  some 
brown  stock.  Dress  with  parmesan  cheese  and 
some  butter.  Mix  well  and  serve  hot.  This  dish 
must  not  be  allowed  to  be  overcooked  or  cooled 
before  eating. 

23 

RISOTTO  WITH  CHICKEN  GIBLETS 
(Risotto  alia  Milanese  II) 

The  broth  for  this  risotto  may  be  made  by 
cooking  together  the  giblets,  neck  and  tips  of 
wings  of  a  chicken  which  is  to  be  roasted,  or  it 
may  be  made  from  the  left-overs  of  roast  fowl. 

Boil  the  rice  until  it  is  about  half  done  in  salted 
water.  Then  let  the  water  cook  away  and  begin 
adding  the  broth,  in  such  quantity  that  the  rice 
will  be  nearly  dry  when  it  is  tender.  Fry  one  chop- 

22 


ped  onion  in  the  oil  or  fat.  Some  mushrooms  cut 
up  small  are  a  very  good  addition  to  this  "Soffrit- 
to."  Mince  the  chicken  giblets  and  add  to  the 
onion.  Stir  the  mixture  into  the  rice.  Add  grated 
cheese  and  a  beaten  egg  just  as  the  rice  is  taken 
from  the  fire. 

24 
(Risotto  con  piselli) 

Wash  and  dry  1  j/2  Ib.  rice ;  chop  fine  one  me- 
dium sized  onion  and  put  it  on  the  fire  with  a 
small  quantity  of  butter. 

When  the  onion  is  well  browned,  add  the  rice 
little  by  little,  stirring  with  a  wooden  spoon.  Add 
some  boiling  water  one  cup  at  a  time.  Drain  the 
peas  previously  prepared  (fresh  or  canned  peas 
may  be  used)  and  add  them  toward  the  end  of 
the  cooking.  When  the  whole  is  almost  cooked, 
add  some  salt  and  take  it  away  from  the  water 
almost  dry.  Add  some  butter,  stir  and  serve  hot. 

25 

RISOTTO  WITH  LOBSTER 
(Risotto  coi  gamberi) 

For  this  risotto  either  lobster  or  crab  meat  can 
be  used :  the  former  is,  however,  considered  more 
tasty.  The  lobster  or  crab  meat  ought  to  be  about 
half  the  weight  of  the  rice  employed.  A  little 
more  than  a  pound  of  rice  and  half  this  weight 

23 


of  crab  meat  ought  to  be  enough  for  six  persons. 
Chop  fine  a  sprig  of  parsley,  a  stalk  of  celery, 
one  carrot,  half  an  onion  a  clove  of  garlic  and 
brown  the  whole  in  good  olive  oil.  When  brown- 
ed, add  the  crab  meat  and  season  with  salt  and 
pepper.  During  the  cooking  process  stir  and  turn 
over  the  crabs,  and  when  they  have  become  red, 
pour  over  as  much  hot  water  as  is  necessary  to 
cook  the  rice. 

After  the  water  boils  for  a  while,  remove  the 
lobster  (or  crab,  or  craw-fish)  leaving  the  sauce- 
pan on  the  fire.  Put  half  of  the  crabs  aside,  and 
grind  the  rest.  Rub  the  ground  meat  through  the 
sieve  and  put  it  back  on  the  fire.  In  another 
saucepan  melt  some  butter  and  put  into  it  little  by 
little  the  rice  that  has  been  washed  and  dried. 
Stir  and  add  the  broth  from  the  first  saucepan. 
When  the  rice  is  almost  cooked  add  the  craw-fish 
that  you  have  put  aside,  or  rather  its  meat  ex- 
tracted from  the  shells,  take  from  the  fire  and 
pour  over  it  the  fish  mixture,  adding  some  grated 
cheese. 

26 

RICE  WITH  SAFFRON 
(Riso  alia  Milanese  con  Zafferano) 

Wash  and  dry  the  rice  and  put  it  in  boiling 
broth  (beef  or  chicken  broth).  When  the  rice 
is  half  cooked  add  half  its  weight  of  marrow  of 
beef  bone,  cut  into  small  pieces.  A  few  minutes 

24 


are  sufficient  for  the  cooking  of  the  marrow. 
Add  grated  cheese  and  remove  the  kettle  from 
the  fire. 

Dissolve  some  saffron  in  one  or  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  broth;  sift  it  through  a  sieve  and 
mix  with  rice,  which  is  to  be  served  very  hot, 
and  makes  an  excellent  soup. 

27 
RICE  CAKES 

(Frittelle  di  riso) 

Cook  the  rice  in  milk,  adding  a  small  quantity 
of  butter,  some  salt,  half  a  teaspoon  of  sugar  and 
just  a  taste  of  lemon  peel.  Let  the  rice  cool 
down  after  being  thoroughly  cooked,  then  add 
three  yolks  of  eggs  (for  J/4  Ib.  of  rice)  and  some 
flour.  Mix  well  and  let  the  whole  rest  for  several 
hours.  When  about  to  fry,  beat  the  white  of  the 
eggs  to  a  froth,  add  to  the  rice  mixing  slowly,  and 
put  into  the  saucepan  with  a  ladle. 

28 
FRIED  ARTICHOKE 

(Carciofi  fritti) 

Take  two  artichokes,  cut  out  the  hard  part  of 
the  leaves  and  of  the  stalk,  cut  them  in  two. 
Then  cut  these  halves  into  section  or  slices  so 
as  to  have  eight  or  ten  for  each  artichoke,  accord- 
ing to  size.  As  you  cut  them,  throw  them  into 

25 


cold  water  and  when  they  are  well  washed,  dry 
them,  but  not  thoroughly,  putting  them  at  once 
into  the  flour  so  that  the  latter  remains  attached 
to  it.  Beat  the  white  of  an  egg,  but  not  to  a 
froth,  then  mix  the  yolk  with  the  white  and  salt 
the  whole.  Shake  out  the  artichokes  to  take 
away  the  superfluous  flour  and  then  put  them 
in  the  egg,  leaving  them  for  a  while  so  that  the 
egg  may  be  attached  to  them. 

Throw  the  pieces  one  by  one  into  the  pan 
where  there  is  boiling  fat,  butter  or  olive  oil,  and 
when  they  are  well  browned,  take  them  away  and 
serve  with  lemon.  If  it  is  desired  that  the  articho- 
kes remain  white,  it  is  better  to  fry  them  in  oil 
and  to  squeeze  half  lemon  into  the  water  where 
the  artichokes  are  put  to  soften. 

29 

STEAMED  ARTICHOKES 
(Carcion  a  vapore) 

Artichokes  have  been  only  recently  imported 
to  the  United  States,  principally  by  Italian 
farmers,  and  they  are  just  beginning  to  find  their 
way  into  the  American  kitchen.  The  artichokes 
may  be  eaten  raw  or  cooked.  It  is  a  healthy  and 
palatable  vegetable,  easily  digested  when  cooked. 
It  is  nutritious  and  adapted  for  convalescents.  It 
may  be  prepared  in  a  thousand  ways,  and  here 
follow  some  of  the  simplest  and  most  tasteful. 

To  prepare  the  steamed  artichokes  they  must 

26 


first  be  cleaned  and  the  stalk  cut  to  less  than  half 
an  inch.  Put  them  in  a  saucepan,  standing  on 
their  bottoms,  one  near  the  other,  in  half  an  inch 
or  more  of  water.  In  an  opening  made  in  the 
middle  put  salt  and  pepper,  and  pour  inside 
as  much  good  olive  oil  as  they  may  contain.  Cover 
well  the  saucepan  and  put  it  on  the  fire.  The 
artichokes,  that  are  already  seasoned,  will  be 
cooked  by  the  steam. 

30 
STEWED  ARTICHOKES 

(Carciofi  in  stufato) 

Wash  the  artichokes  and  cut  the  hard  part  of 
the  leaves  (the  top).  Widen  the  leaves  and 
insert  a  hash  composed  of  bread  crumbs,  parsely, 
salt,  pepper  and  oil.  Place  the  artichokes  in  the 
saucepan  standing  on  their  stalk,  one  touching 
the  other.  Cover  them  with  water  and  let  them 
cook  for  two  hours  or  more.  When  the  leaves  are 
easily  detached  they  are  cooked. 

31 

ARTICHOKES  WITH  BUTTER 
(Carciofi  al  burro) 

Wash,  dry  and  cut  out  the  top  of  the  leaves  of 
as  many  artichokes  as  are  needed.  Cut  them  in 
two  or  four  and  boil  them  in  salt  water.  When 

27 


tender,  drain  them,  have  them  slightly  browned 
in  melted  butter  and  season  with  salt  and  pepper. 
When  served  in  a  vegetable  dish  or  placed  in  a 
pyramid  on  a  round  plate,  sprinkle  with  grated 
cheese. 

32 

FRIED  SQUASH 
(Zucchine  fritte) 

The  squashes  used  by  Italians  for  frying  and 
other  purposes  are  very  small,  and  for  this  rea- 
son they  are  called  "Zucchine"  or  small  squashes. 
They  can  be  bought  at  those  shops  kept  by  Italian 
vegetable  dealers  that  are  now  to  be  found  in 
large  number  in  most  American  cities  and,  in- 
variably, in  Italian  neighborhoods  during  the  sum- 
mer season.  The  "Zucchine"  are  an  extremely 
tasty  vegetable  and  they  are  especially  good  when 
fried. 

Select  the  squashes  that  are  long  and  thin: 
wash  them  cut  them  in  little  strips  less  than  half 
an  inch  thick.  Take  away  the  softer  part  of  the 
interior  and  salt  moderately.  Leave  them 
aside  for  an  hour  or  two,  then  drain  them  but 
don't  dry  them.  Put  them  in  flour  and  rub  gently 
in  a  sieve  to  take  away  the  superfluous  flour: 
immediately  after  put  them  in  a  saucepan  where 
there  is  already  oil,  fat  or  butter  boiling.  At  the 
beginning  don't  touch  them  to  avoid  breaking, 

28 


and  only  when  they  have  become  a  little  hard- 
ened stir  them  and  remove  when  they  begin  to  be 
browned. 

33 
LAMB  OMELET 

(Agnello  in  frit  tat  a) 

Cut  in  little  pieces  a  loin  of  lamb,  which  is  the 
part  that  lends  itself  best  for  this  dish,  and  fry 
in  lard:  a  little  quantity  of  lard  is  sufficient,  be- 
cause the  meat  of  the  loins  is  rather  fat.  When 
half  cooked  season  with  salt  and  pepper  and 
when  fully  cooked  pour  over  four  or  five  whole 
eggs  slightly  beaten  also  seasoned  moderately 
with  salt  and  pepper.  Mix,  taking  care  that  the 
eggs  do  not  harden. 

34 
FRIED  CHICKEN 

(Polio  fritto) 

Wash  a  spring  chicken  and  keep  in  boiling 
water  for  one  minute.  Cut  into  pieces  at  the 
joints,  roll  them  in  flour,  season  with  salt  and 
pepper  and  dip  in  two  whole  beaten  eggs.  After 
leaving  the  pieces  of  chicken  for  half  an  hour, 
roll  them  in  bread  crumbs,  repeating  the  operation 
twice  if  necessary.  Put  into  a  saucepan  with 
boiling  oil  or  fat,  seeing  that  the  pieces  of  chicken 
are  well  browned  on  both  sides.  Keep  the  fire 
low.  Serve  hot  with  lemon. 

29 


35 

CHICKEN  ALLA  CACCIATORA 
(Polio  alia  cacciatora) 

Chop  one  large  onion  and  keep  it  for  more  than 
half  an  hour  in  cold  water,  then  dry  it  and  brown 
it  aside.  Cut  up  a  chicken,  sprinkle  the  pieces 
with  flour,  salt  and  pepper  and  saute  in  the  fat 
which  remains  in  the  frying  pan.  When  the 
chicken  is  brown  add  one  pint  fresh  or  canned 
tomatoes  and  half  a  dozen  sweet  green  peppers 
and  put  back  the  onion.  When  the  gravy  is 
thick  enough  add  hot  water  to  prevent  the  burn- 
ing of  the  vegetables.  Cover  the  pan  tightly  and 
simmer  until  the  chicken  is  very  tender.  This  is 
an  excellent  way  to  cook  tough  chickens.  Fowls 
which  have  been  boiled  may  be  cooked  in  this 
way,  but  of  course  young  and  tender  chickens 
will  have  the  finer  flavor. 

36 

CORN  MEAL  WITH  SAUSAGES 
(Polenta  con  salsicce) 

Cook  in  water  one  cup  of  yellow  cornmeal 
making  a  stiff  mush.  Salt  it  well  and  when  it  is 
cooked  spread  out  to  cool  on  a  bread  board  about 
half  an  inch  thick.  Then  cut  the  mush  into  small 
squares. 

30 


Put  in  a  saucepan  several  whole  sausages  with 
a  little  water,  and  when  they  are  cooked  skin  and 
crush  them  and  add  some  brown  stock  or  tomato 
sauce. 

Put  the  polenta  (or  cornmeal  mush)  in  a  fire- 
proof receptacle,  season  with  grated  cheese,  the 
crushed  sausages  and  a  piece  of  butter.  Put  it 
in  the  oven  and  serve  when  hot. 

37 
POLENTA  PIE 

(Polenta  Pasticciata) 

Make  a  very  stiff  mush  of  cornmeal  cooked  in 
milk.  Salt  it  well  and  spread  out  on  the  bread 
board  in  a  sheet  about  one  inch  thick.  When 
cold,  cut  in  little  diamonds  or  squares  and  place 
these  in  a  buttered  baking  dish.  Prepare  the  Bo- 
lognese  souce  according  to  the  following  recipe: 
Chop  |/4  Ib.  round  steak,  a  slice  of  pork  or  bacon, 
one  small  carrot  '/4  onion,  one  large  piece  celery. 
Put  the  meat  and  vegetables  over  the  fire  with  a 
piece  of  butter.  When  the  meat  has  browned 
add  half  a  tablespoon  of  flour  and  wet  the  mix- 
ture with  hot  water  or  broth,  allowing  it  to  sim- 
mer from  half  an  hour  to  an  hour.  It  is  done 
when  it  is  the  consistency  of  a  thick  gravy. 

Make  a  smooth  white  sauce  with  milk  corn- 
starch  and  butter.  Over  a  layer  of  the  polenta, 
cut  as  above  and  placed  in  the  baking  dish  sprin- 

31 


kle  some  grated  cheese  and  a  few  tablespoons 
each  of  the  white  sauce  and  the  meat  sauce.  Re- 
peat until  the  dish  is  full.  Bake  until  the  top  is 
nicely  browned.  This  dish  seems  very  elaborate, 
but  it  is  very  delicious  and  a  meal  in  itself. 

The  Bolognese  sauce  is  also  used  to  season 
macaroni  or  spaghetti  in  lieu  of  the  tomato  sauce 
or  the  brown  stock. 

38 

STUFFED  ROLLS 
(Pagnottelle  ripiene) 

Take  some  rolls,  and  by  means  of  a  round 
opening  on  the  top,  as  large  as  a  half  dollar  piece 
or  less,  extract  nearly  all  the  crumb,  leaving  the 
crust  intact,  but  not  too  thin.  Wet  inside  and 
outside  with  hot  milk,  and  when  they  are  fairly 
soaked,  dip  in  beaten  eggs  and  fry  them  in  lard 
or  oil.  When  beginning  to  brown,  fill  them  with 
meat  that  has  been  previously  chopped  and  cook- 
ed. This  chopped  meat  ought  to  be  made  with 
breast  of  chicken,  chicken  giblets,  liver  etc., 
brown  stock  and  some  flour  to  hold  it  together. 

39 
STEWED  VEAL 

(Stracotto  di  vitella) 

The  stock  from  this  dish  may  very  well  be 
used  to  season  macaroni  or  boiled  rice.  Care 

32 


must  be  taken,  however,  not  to  draw  away  all 
the  juice  of  the  meat  in  order  to  have  a  sauce 
too  rich  at  the  expense  of  the  principal  dish. 

Place  in  a  saucepan  one  pound  of  veal  or  more, 
bone  included,  a  piece  of  butter  or  some  olive  oil 
(or  the  two  together)  half  a  medium  sized  onion, 
one  small  carrot,  two  celery  stalks  cut  in  small 
pieces.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper.  Put  it  on 
a  low  fire,  turn  the  meat  over  often  and  when 
browned  add  a  pinch  of  flour  and  some  tomato 
paste,  bringing  it  to  full  cooking  with  water  pour- 
ed little  by  little.  The  flour  is  used  to  keep  the 
sauce  together  and  give  it  color,  but  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  burn  it,  because  in  that  case  the 
sauce  would  have  an  unpleasant  taste  and  a  black, 
instead  of  a  reddish  color.  The  addition  of  dried 
mushrooms,  previously  softened  in  the  water  and 
slightly  boiled  in  the  sauce  will  add  greatly  to  its 
taste. 

As  has  been  said  the  sauce  can  well  be  used 
to  season  spaghetti  or  risotto.  The  stewed  veal 
can  be  served  with  some  vegetable. 


(Polio  dissossato  ripieno) 

To  remove  the  bones  from  a  chicken  the  fol- 
lowing instructions  will  be  found  useful. 

Wash  and  singe  the  fowl:  take  off  the  head 

33 


and  legs,  and  remove  the  tendons.  When  a  fowl 
is  to  be  boned  it  is  not  drawn.  The  work  of  bon- 
ing is  not  difficult,  but  it  requires  practice.  The 
skin  must  not  be  broken.  Use  a  small  pointed 
knife  cut  the  skin  down  the  full  length  of  the 
back;  then,  beginning  at  the  neck,  carefully 
scrape  the  meat  away  from  the  bone,  keeping  the 
knife  close  to  the  bone.  When  the  joints  of  the 
wings  and  legs  are  met,  break  them  back  and  pro- 
ceed to  free  the  meat  from  the  carcass.  When  one 
side  is  free,  turn  the  fowl  and  do  the  same  on  the 
other  side.  The  skin  is  drawn  tightly  over  the 
breast-bone,  and  care  must  be  used  to  detach  it 
without  piercing  the  skin.  When  the  meat  is 
free  from  the  carcass,  remove  the  bones  from  the 
legs  and  wings,  turning  the  meat  down  or  inside 
out,  as  the  bones  are  exposed,  and  using  care 
not  to  break  the  skin  at  the  joints.  The  end 
bones  of  the  wing  cannot  be  removed,  and  the 
whole  end  joint  may  be  cut  off  or  left  as  it  is. 

Now  that  the  fowl  is  boned  make  the  following 
stuffing,  regulating  the  quantity  on  the  size  of 
the  chicken.  Chop  half  a  pound  or  more,  of  lean 
veal,  and  grind  it  afterwards,  so  that  it  may  make 
a  paste.  Add  a  large  piece  of  bread  crumb  soak- 
ed in  broth,  a  tablespoon  of  grated  cheese,  three 
yolks  of  egg,  salt,  pepper  and,  if  desired,  just  a 
taste  of  nutmeg.  Finally  mix  also  one  or  two 
slices  of  ham  and  tongue,  cut  in  small  pieces. 
Stuff  the  boned  chicken  with  this  filling,  sew  up 

34 


the  opening,  wrap  it  tightly  in  a  cloth  and  put  to 
cook  in  water  on  a  low  fire.  When  taken  from 
the  water,  remove  the  wrapping  and  brown  it, 
first  with  butter,  then  in  a  sauce  made  in  the 
following  way:  Break  all  the  bones  that  have 
been  extracted  from  the  chicken,  the  head  and 
neck  included,  and  put  them  on  the  fire  with  dried 
meat  cut  in  little  pieces,  butter,  onion,  celery  and 
carrot,  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper.  Make  the 
sauce  with  the  water  in  which  the  chicken  has 
been  boiled,  which  has  naturally  become  a  good 
chicken  broth. 

Before  sending  to  the  table,  remove  the  thread 
with  which  the  chicken  has  been  sewed. 

41 

CHICKEN  WITH  TOMATOES 
(Polio  alia  contadina) 

Take  a  young  chicken  and  make  some  little 
holes  in  the  skin  in  which  you  will  put  some 
sprigs  of  rosemary  and  a  clove  of  garlic  cut  into 
five  or  six  pieces.  Put  it  on  the  fire  with  chopped 
lard  and  season  with  salt  and  pepper  inside  and 
outside.  When  it  is  well  browned  on  all  parts 
add  tomatoes  cut  in  pieces,  taking  care  to  remove 
previously  all  the  seeds.  Moisten  with  broth  or 
water.  Brown  some  potatoes  in  oil,  fat  or  butter, 
previously  cutting  them  into  sections.  When 
browned  dip  in  the  sauce  of  the  chicken  and  serve 
the  whole  together. 

35 


42 

CHICKEN  WITH  SHERRY 
(Polio  al  marsala) 

Cut  the  chicken  in  big  pieces  and  put  it  in  the 
saucepan  with  one  medium  sized  onion  chopped 
fine  and  a  piece  of  butter.  Season  with  salt  and 
pepper  and,  when  it  is  well  browned,  add  some 
broth  and  complete  the  cooking.  Remove  the 
excessive  fat  from  the  sauce  by  sifting  through 
a  sieve  or  otherwise,  and  put  the  chicken  back 
on  the  fire  with  a  glass  of  Sherry  or  Marsala 
wine,  removing  it  from  the  fire  as  soon  as  the 
sauce  begins  to  boil. 

43 

CHICKEN  WITH  SAUSAGES 
(Polio  colle  salsicce) 

Chop  fine  half  an  onion  and  put  it  in  a  sauce- 
pan with  a  piece  of  butter  and  four  or  five  slices 
of  ham,  half  an  inch  wide.  Over  these  ingre- 
dients place  a  whole  chicken,  season  with  pepper 
and  a  little  salt  and  place  on  the  fire.  Brown  it 
on  all  sides  and,  when  the  onion  is  all  melted, 
add  water  or  broth  and  three  or  four  sausages 
freshly  made.  Let  it  cook  on  a  low  fire,  seeing 
that  the  sauce  remains  liquid  and  does  not  dry  up. 


36 


44 

CHICKEN  WITH  EGG  SAUCE 
(Polio  in  salsa  d'uova) 

Break  into  pieces  a  young  chicken  and  put  it 
in  the  saucepan  with  a  piece  of  butter.  Season 
with  salt  and  pepper.  When  it  is  half  browned 
sprinkle  with  a  pinch  of  flour  to  give  it  color, 
then  complete  the  cooking  with  broth.  Remove 
it  from  the  same  and  put  it  on  a  plate.  Beat  the 
yolk  of  one  egg  with  the  piece  of  half  a  lemon 
and  pour  it  on  the  sauce  of  the  chicken,  allowing 
it  to  simmer  for  some  minutes.  Then  pour  on 
the  chicken  and  serve  hot. 

45 

CHICKEN  BREASTS  SAUTfcS 
(Petti  di  polio  alia  saute) 

Cut  the  breast  of  a  fowl  in  very  thin  slices, 
give  them  the  best  possible  shape  and  make  a 
whole  piece  from  the  little  pieces  that  will  re- 
main, cleaning  well  the  breast-bone,  crushing  and 
mixing  these.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper  and 
dip  the  slices  in  beaten  eggs,  leaving  them  for  a 
few  hours.  Sprinkle  with  bread  crumbs  ground 
fine  and  saute  in  butter.  Serve  with  lemon. 

If  you  want  this  dish  more  elaborate  prepare 
a  sauce  in  the  following  way:  Put  some  good 
olive  oil  in  a  frying  pan,  just  enough  to  cover  the 
bottom,  and  cover  the  oil  with  a  layer  of  dry 

37 


mushrooms.  Sprinkle  over  a  small  quantity  of 
grated  cheese  and  some  bread  crumbs.  Repeat 
the  same  operation  three  or  four  times,  according 
to  the  quantity,  and  finally  season  with  olive  oil, 
salt  and  pepper  and  small  pieces  of  butter.  Put 
the  pan  over  the  fire  and  when  it  has  begun  to 
boil  pour  a  small  cup  of  brown  stock  or  broth 
and  a  little  lemon  juice.  Remove  the  same  from 
the  fire  and  pour  it  on  the  chicken  breast  that 
have  been  browned  as  described  above. 

46 
WILD  DUCK 

(Anitra  selvatica) 

Clean  the  duck,  putting  aside  the  giblets,  and 
cut  off  the  head  and  legs.  Chop  fine  a  thick  slice 
of  ham  with  both  lean  and  fat  together,  with  a 
moderate  amount  of  celery,  parsley,  carrot  and 
half  medium  sized  onion.  Put  the  chopped  ham 
and  vegetables  in  a  saucepan  and  lay  the  duck  on 
the  whole,  seasoning  wtih  salt  and  pepper. 
Brown  on  all  sides  and  add  water  to  complete  the 
cooking. 

Cabbage  or  lentils,  cooked  in  water  and  after- 
ward allowed  to  complete  the  cooking  in  the  sauce 
obtained  from  the  duck,  form  a  good  addition. 

To  remove  the  "gamey"  taste  from  the  wild 
duck,  either  wash  it  in  vinegar  before  cooking  or 
scald  it  in  boiling  water. 

38 


47 

STEWED  SQUABS 
(Piccioni  in  umido) 

Garnish  the  squabs  with  whole  sage  leaves 
and  place  them  in  a  saucepan  over  a  bed  of  small 
slices  of  ham  containing  both  lean  and  fat,  season 
with  salt,  pepper  and  olive  oil.  Place  on  the  fire 
and  when  they  begin  to  be  browned,  add  a  piece 
of  butter  and  complete  the  cooking  by  pouring 
in  some  good  broth.  Before  removing  from  the  fire 
squeeze  one  lemon  over  them  and  garnish  with 
squares  or  diamonds  of  toasted  bread.  Take  care 
not  to  add  too  much  salt  on  account  of  the  ham 
and  the  broth  both  containing  salt. 

Note — Many  of  these  dishes,  it  will  be  noticed, 
are  made  with  broth.  When  meat  broth  is  not 
available,  it  can  be  prepared  with  bouillon  cubes 
or  with  Liebig  or  Armour  Extracts.  It  is,  how- 
ever, always  preferable  to  use  broth  made  with 
fresh  meat. 

48 

RAGOUT  OF  SQUABS 
(Manicaretto  di  piccione) 

Cut  two  or  more  squabs  at  the  joints,  prefer- 
ably in  four  parts  each,  and  put  them  on  the  fire 
with  a  slice  of  ham,  a  piece  of  butter,  and  a 
bunch  of  parsley.  When  they  begin  to  dry,  add 
some  broth  and  —  before  they  are  completely 

39 


cooked  —  their  giblets  and  fresh  mushrooms  cut 
in  slices.  Continue  pouring  in  broth  and  allow 
the  whole  to  simmer  on  a  low  fire.  Add  another 
piece  of  butter  over  which  some  flour  has  been 
sprinkled,  or  flour  alone.  Before  serving,  re- 
move the  ham  and  the  bunch  of  greens  and 
squeeze  some  lemon  juice  over  the  squabs. 

Some  sweetbread  may  be  added  with  good 
effect,  but  it  must  be  first  scalded  and  the  skin 
removed. 

49 

SQUAB  TIMBALE 
(Timballo  di  piccioni) 

Chop  together  some  ham,  onion,  celery  and 
carrot,  add  a  piece  of  butter  and  place  on  the 
fire  with  one  or  two  squabs,  according  to  the 
number  of  guests.  Add  the  giblets  from  the 
squabs  and  some  more  of  chicken,  if  at  hand. 
Season  with  salt  and  pepper,  and  when  the  pi- 
geons are  browned,  pour  over  some  broth  to  com- 
plete the  cooking,  taking  care,  however,  that  the 
sauce  does  not  become  too  liquid.  Remove  the 
latter  and  place  in  it  some  macaroni  that  has  been 
half  cooked  and  drained.  Keep  the  macaroni  in 
the  sauce  on  the  fire,  stirring  them.  Make  a 
well  reduced  Bechamel  sauce,  then  cut  the  squabs 
at  the  joints,  removing  the  neck,  the  legs  and  the 
bones  of  the  back,  when  you  would  not  bone 

40 


them  entirely,  which  would  be  better.  Cut  the 
giblets  in  small  pieces  and  remove  the  soft  part  of 
the  onion. 

When  the  macaroni  have  absorbed  the  sauce, 
season  them  with  grated  cheese,  pieces  of  butter, 
diamonds  or  squares  of  ham,  a  taste  of  nutmeg 
and  some  truffles  or  dry  mushrooms  previously 
softened  in  water.  Add  finally  the  Bechamel  sauce 
and  mix  the  whole. 

Take  a  sufficiently  large  mold,  butter  it  and 
line  it  with  soft  pastry.  Put  everything  in  the 
mold,  or  timbale,  cover  it  with  the  same  pastry 
and  put  in  the  oven.  Take  out  of  the  mold  and 
serve  hot.  Three  quarters  of  a  pound  of  maca- 
roni and  two  pigeons  are  enough  for  ten  per- 
sons. 

50 

SALMI  OF  GAME 
(Uccelli  in  salmi) 

Roast  the  game  completely,  seasoning  with 
salt  and  pepper.  If  the  game  be  small  birds,  leave 
them  whole,  if  big  cut  them  in  four  parts.  Re- 
move all  the  heads  and  grind  them  together  with 
some  pieces  of  birds,  or  some  whole  little 
birds.  Put  in  a  saucepan  one  tablespoonful 
of  butter  one  half  pound  of  bacon  or  ham 
cut  into  dice,  brown  stock  or  broth,  one 
tablespoonful  each  of  chopped  onion  and  carrot, 
one  tablespoonful  each  of  salt,  thyme  and  sage. 

41 


Allow  the  sauce  to  simmer  for  half  an  hour  then 
rub  it  through  a  sieve  and  place  in  it  the  roasted 
game.  Make  it  boil  until  the  cooking  is  complet- 
ed and  serve  with  toasted  diamonds  of  bread. 

51 

STEWED  HARE 
(Stufato  di  lepre) 

Take  half  of  a  good  sized  hare  and,  after  cutting 
it  in  pieces,  chop  fine  one  medium  sized  onion, 
one  clove  of  garlic,  a  stalk  of  celery  and  several 
leaves  of  rosemary.  Put  on  the  fire  with  some 
pieces  of  butter,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  olive  oil 
and  four  or  five  strips  of  bacon  or  salt  pork,  when 
the  whole  has  been  browning  for  four  or  five 
minutes,  put  the  pieces  of  hare  inside  the  sauce- 
pan and  season  them  with  salt,  pepper  and  spices. 
When  it  is  browned,  put  a  wineglass  of  white 
wine,  some  fresh  mushrooms,  or  dry  mushrooms 
previously  softenend  in  water.  Complete  the 
cooking  with  broth  and  tomato  sauce  and,  if  ne- 
cessary, add  another  piece  of  butter. 

52 

STEWED  RABBIT 
(Coniglio  in  umido) 

After  washing  the  rabbit,  cut  it  in  rather  large 
pieces  and  put  it  on  the  fire  to  drive  away  the 
water  that  is  to  be  drained.  When  quite  dry,  put 

42 


in  the  saucepan  a  piece  of  butter,  a  little  oil,  and 
a  hash  composed  of  the  liver  of  the  rabbit  itself, 
a  small  piece  of  corned  beef  and  some  onion, 
celery,  carrot  and  parsley.  Season  with  salt  and 
pepper.  Stir  often  and  when  it  is  browned  add 
some  tomato  sauce  and  another  piece  of  butter. 

53 
GREEN  SAUCE 

(Salsa  verde) 

Chop  all  together  some  capers  that  have  been 
in  vinegar,  one  anchovy,  a  small  slice  of  onion 
and  just  a  taste  of  garlic.  Crush  the  resulting 
hash  with  the  blade  of  a  knife  to  make  it  very 
fine.  Add  a  sprig  of  parsley,  chopped  together 
with  some  leaves  of  basil  and  dissolve  the  whole 
in  very  good  olive  oil  and  lemon  juice. 

This  sauce  is  excellent  to  season  boiled  chicken 
or  cold  boiled  fish  or  hard  boiled  eggs. 

Green  Peppers  can  take  the  place  of  capers,  if 
these  are  not  at  hand. 

54 

WHITE  SAUCE 
(Salsa  bianca) 

This  sauce  can  be  served  with  boiled  asparagus 
or  with  cauliflower.  The  ingredients  are  !/£  lb. 
of  butter,  a  tablespoonful  of  flour,  a  tablespoon- 

43 


ful  vinegar,  one  yolk  of  egg,  salt  and  pepper, 
broth  or  water  in  sufficient  quantity. 

Put  first  on  the  fire  the  flour  with  half  the  but- 
ter and  when  it  begins  to  be  browned  pour  over  it 
the  broth  or  the  water  little  by  little,  stirring  with 
the  wooden  spoon  and  adding  the  rest  of  the 
butter  and  the  vinegar  without  making  the  water 
boil  too  much.  When  taken  off  the  fire  add  the 
yolk  of  the  egg,  stir  and  serve. 

55 
YELLOW  SAUCE 

(Salsa  gialla) 

This  sauce  is  especially  good  for  boiled  fish, 
and  the  quantities  indicated  below  are  sufficient 
for  a  piece  of  fish  or  a  whole  fish  weighing  about 
a  pound. 

Put  on  the  fire  in  a  little  saucepan  one  tea- 
spoonful  of  flour  and  two  ounces  of  butter,  and 
when  the  flour  begins  to  be  browned,  pour  over  it 
little  by  little  one  cup  of  the  broth  of  the  fish,  that 
is  to  say  of  the  water  in  which  the  fish  has  been 
boiled.  When  you  see  that  the  flour  does  not 
rise  in  the  boiling  water,  take  away  the  sauce 
from  the  flour  and  pour  over  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  olive  oil  and  the  yolk  of  an  egg,  stirring  and 
mixing  everything  well.  Squeeze  in  the  sauce 
half  a  lemon  and  season  generously  with  salt  and 
pepper.  Let  it  cool  and  then  pour  over  the  fish 
that  is  to  be  served  with  a  sprig  of  parsley. 

44 


This  sauce  must  have  the  appearance  of  a 
cream  and  must  not  be  too  liquid,  in  order  that 
it  may  remain  attached  to  the  fish. 

56 

SAUCE  FOR  BROILED  FISH 
(Salsa  per  pesce  in  gratella) 

This  sauce  is  composed  of  yolks  of  eggs,  salted 
anchovies,  olive  oil  and  lemon  juice.  Boil  the 
eggs  in  their  shell  for  ten  minutes  and  for  every 
hard  yolk  take  one  large  anchovy  or  two  small. 
Bone  the  anchovies  and  rub  them  on  the  sieve 
together  with  the  hard  (or  semi-hard)  yolks,  and 
dissolve  all  with  oil  and  lemon  juice  to  reduce  it 
like  a  cream.  Cover  with  this  sauce  the  broiled 
fish  before  sending  to  the  table,  or  serve  aside  in 
a  gravy  boat. 

57 

CAPER  SAUCE 
(Salsa  con  capper!) 

This  sauce  is  especially  adapted  for  boiled  fish 
and  the  quantities  are  for  a  little  more  than  one 
pound  of  fish.  The  ingredients  are  two  ounces 
of  butter,  two  ounces  of  capers  soaked  in  vinegar 
one  teaspoonful  of  flour,  salt,  pepper  and  vinegar. 

Boil  the  fish  and,  when  it  is  left  warm  in  its 
broth,  prepare  the  sauce.  Put  on  the  fire  the  flour 

45 


with  half  of  the  butter,  mix  it  and  when  it  begins 
to  take  color,  add  the  remaining  butter. 

Let  boil  a  little  and  then  pour  one  half  cup  of 
the  broth  of  the  fish:  season  generously  with  salt 
and  pepper  and  take  the  saucepan  from  the  fire. 
Then  throw  in  it  the  capers,  half  whole,  half  chop- 
ped, and  some  drops  of  vinegar,  but  taste  it  to 
dose  the  sauce  so  that  it  is  pleasant  to  the  taste 
and  as  thick  as  liquid  cream. 

It  is  well  to  observe  here  that  these  sauces  in 
which  butter  is  used  together  with  a£ids,  such  as 
vinegar,  are  not  for  weak  stomachs  and  should 
be  partaken  of  sparingly. 

58 
GENOVESE  SAUCE 

(Salsa  genovese) 

Chop  fine  a  sprig  of  parsley  and  half  a  clove  of 
garlic.  Then  mix  with  some  capers  soaked  in 
vinegar,  one  anchovy,  one  hard  yolk  of  egg,  three 
pitless  olives,  a  crumb  of  bread  as  big  as  an  egg, 
soaked  in  vinegar.  Grind  all  these  ingredients, 
rub  through  a  sieve  and  dissolve  in  olive  oil,  dos- 
ing right  by  tasting. 

59 
BALSAMELLA  SAUCE 

(Salsa  balsamella) 

This  sauce  resembles  the  famous  French  Be- 
chamel Sauce,  but  it  is  simpler  in  its  composi- 
tion. 

46 


Put  in  a  saucepan  one  tablespoonful  of  flour 
and  a  piece  of  butter  as  big  as  an  egg.  Stir  the 
flour  and  the  butter  together  while  keeping  them 
over  the  fire.  When  the  flour  begins  to  be  brown- 
ed, pour  over  a  pint  of  milk,  continually  stirring 
with  a  wooden  spoon  until  you  see  the  liquid 
condensed  like  a  cream.  This  is  the  Balsamella. 
If  it  is  too  thick  add  some  milk,  if  too  liquid  put 
back  on  the  fire  with  another  piece  of  butter 
dipped  in  flour. 

A  good  Balsamella  and  some  well  prepared 
brown  stock  are  the  base  and  the  principal  secret 
of  many  savory  dishes. 

60 

CURLED  OMELET 
(Frittata  in  riccioli) 

Boil  a  bunch  of  spinach  and  rub  it  through 
a  sieve.  Beat  two  eggs,  season  with  salt  and  pep- 
per and  mix  with  them  enough  spinach  to  make 
the  eggs  appear  green.  Put  the  frying  pan  on  the 
fire  with  only  enough  oil  to  grease  it  and  when 
very  hot  put  in  a  portion  of  the  eggs,  moving  the 
frying  pan  so  as  to  make  a  very  thin  omelet. 
When  well  cooked,  remove  it  from  the  frying 
pan  and  repeat  the  operation  once  or  twice  in 
order  to  have  two  or  three  very  thin  omelets. 
Put  these  one  over  the  other  and  cut  them  in 
small  strips  that  are  to  be  browned  in  butter 

47 


adding  a  little  grated  cheese.  These  strips  of 
omelet,  resembling  noodles,  form  a  tasty  and  at- 
tractive dressing  for  a  fricandeau  (veal  stew)  or 
a  similar  dish. 

61 
VEAL  KIDNEY  OMELET 

(Frittata  di  rognone  di  vitella) 

Take  a  veal  kidney,  open  it  lengthwise  and 
leave  all  its  fat.  Season  with  oil,  salt  and  pepper, 
broil  it  and  cut  in  thin  slices.  Beat  enough  eggs 
in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  kidney,  season 
them  with  salt  and  pepper,  both  in  moderate 
quantity  and  mix  with  them  a  sprig  of  parsley 
and  some  grated  cheese.  Put  the  sliced  kidney 
in  the  eggs,  mix  all  together  and  make  an  omelet 
with  some  butter. 

62 
PUFF  PASTE 

(Pasta  sfoglia) 

The  Pasta  sfoglia  is  not  too  difficult  to  make 
and  if  the  following  instructions  are  carefully 
followed,  this  fine  and  light  paste  can  easily  be 
prepared.  It  is  well  to  have  a  marble  slab  to  roll 
it  on  but  this  is  not  absolutely  necessary.  A 
warm,  damp  day  is  not  favorable  for  the  making 
of  the  Pasta  sfoglia,  which  succeeds  better  when 
the  weather  is  cold  and  dry. 

48 


Mix  half  a  pound  of  flour  of  the  very  best 
quality  with  a  piece  of  butter  as  big  as  a  walnut, 
some  warm,  but  not  hot  water,  enough  salt  and 
a  teaspoonful  of  good  brandy.  When  the  paste 
is  formed  knead  it  well  for  about  half  an  hour, 
first  with  the  hands,  then  throwing  it  repeatedly 
with  force  against  the  bread  board.  Make  a  cake 
of  a  rectangular  form,  wrap  it  in  cloth  and  let  it 
rest  for  a  while.  Meanwhile  work  with  the  hand 
J/2  lb.  of  butter  that  has  been  kept  previously  on 
ice  or,  better,  in  a  bowl  of  ice-water,  until  it  be- 
comes smooth  and  flexible,  then  make  of  it  a 
little  cake  like  that  of  the  paste  and  throw  it  in  a 
bowl  of  cold  water.  When  the  dough  has  rested 
take  the  butter  from  the  water,  wipe  it  with  a 
cloth  and  dip  it  in  flour. 

Roll  the  paste  only  as  long  as  it  is  necessary 
to  enclose  within  the  cake  of  butter.  This  is 
placed  in  the  middle  and  the  edges  of  the  sheet 
of  paste  are  drawn  over  it,  closing  well  with  fin- 
gers moistened  in  a  little  water  so  that  no  air 
remains  inside.  Then  begin  to  flatten,  first  with 
the  hands,  then  with  the  rolling  pin,  making  the 
sheet  as  thin  as  possible,  but  taking  care  that  the 
butter  does  not  come  out.  If  this  happens  throw 
at  once  a  little  flour  where  the  butter  appears 
and  always  have  the  marble  slab  (or  bread  board) 
and  the  rolling  pin  sprinkled  with  flour.  Fold  it 
over,  making  three  even  layers  of  paste,  and 
again  roll  the  folded  strip,  repeating  the  operation 

49 


six  times  and  letting  the  paste  rest  from  time  to 
time  for  a  few  minutes.  At  the  last  time,  fold  it 
in  two  and  reduce  it  to  the  necessary  thickness 
that  is,  about  one  third  of  an  inch.  After  each 
folding  press  the  edges  gently  with  the  rolling 
pin  to  shut  in  the  air,  and  turn  the  paste  so  as  to 
roll  in  a  different  direction. 

When  the  paste  has  had  six  turns  cut  it  into 
the  desired  forms  and  put  on  ice,  or  in  a  cold 
place  for  twenty  to  thirty  minutes  before  putting 
it  on  the  oven,  which  must  be  very  hot,  with  the 
greatest  heat  at  the  bottom. 

The  puff  past  is  used  for  pate  shells  and  vol- 
au-vent  cake  and  for  light  pastries  of  all  kinds. 

63 
PASTE  FOR  FRYING 

(Pastella  per  fritto) 

Dilute  three  teaspoonfuls  of  flour  with  two 
teaspoonfuls  of  oil.  Add  two  eggs,  a  pinch  of 
salt,  and  mix  well.  This  mixture  will  take  on 
the  aspect  of  a  smooth  cream  and  is  used  to  glaze 
fried  brains,  sweetbreads  and  the  like.  All  these 
things  are  first  to  be  scalded  in  boiling  salt  water. 
Add  a  pinch  of  salt  and  one  of  pepper  when 
taking  from  the  water.  The  brains,  sweetbreads 
etc.  are  then  to  be  cut  in  irregular  pieces,  thrown 
into  the  paste,  or  cream,  described  above  and  fried 
in  oil  or  good  lard. 

50 


In  frying  these  are  often  united  to  liver  or  veal 
cutlets.  The  liver  must  be  cut  in  very  thin  slices 
and  the  cutlets  beaten  with  the  side  of  a  big  knife 
and  given  a  good  shape.  Season  with  salt  and 
pepper,  dip  in  beaten  egg  and  after  a  few  hours 
sprinkle  with  bread  crumbs  and  fry.  Serve  with 
lemon. 

64 

CHICKEN  STUFFING 
(Ripieno  di  polio) 

The  ingredients  are  '/J  lb.  lean  veal  or 
pork  or  breast  of  turkey  and  chicken  giblets. 
Cook  this  meat  together  with  a  little  hash  of 
onion,  parsley,  celery,  carrot  and  butter.  Season 
with  salt  pepper  and  spices,  moistening  it  with 
broth.  Take  dry  from  the  fire,  take  off  the  soft 
parts  of  the  giblets,  add  a  few  dry  mushrooms  soft 
ened  in  water,  a  little  slice  of  lean  fat  ham  and 
chop  everything  fine.  Into  the  sauce  that  has 
remained  from  the  cooking  throw  enough  bread- 
crumbs to  make  a  tablespoonful  of  hard  soaked 
bread.  Mix  it  with  the  chopped  hash,  add  a  pinch 
of  grated  cheese  and  two  eggs  and  fill  the  chicken 
with  all  this,  sewing  up  the  opening  afterwards. 
The  chicken  can  be  boiled  or  stewed.  If  boiled  you 
will  have  an  excellent  bouillon,  but  pay  attention 
when  cutting  the  chicken  to  extract  the  stuffing 
in  one  piece  in  order  to  slice  it. 

51 


65 
MEAT  STUFFING  FOR  VOL-AU-VENT 

(Ripieno  di  came  per  pasticcini 
di  pasta  sfoglia) 

This  stuffing  can  be  made  either  with  stewed 
veal  or  chicken  giblets  or  sweetbreads.  The 
latter  are  preferable,  being  more  delicate  and  a 
taste  of  truffles  greatly  improves  the  stuffing.  If 
sweetbreads  are  used,  put  them  on  the  fire  with 
a  piece  of  butter  and  season  with  salt  and  pepper. 
When  they  have  begun  to  take  color,  complete 
the  cooking  with  some  brown  stock,  then  cut 
them  in  pieces  as  little  as  a  bean.  Add  one  or 
two  spoons  of  Balsamella  (see  No.  54)  a  little 
tongue,  one  or  two  slices  of  ham  cut  in  little 
squares,  a  pinch  of  grated  cheese  and  a  taste  of 
nutmeg,  seeing  that  the  ingredients  are  in  such 
quantities  as  to  make  the  mixture  tasty  and  deli- 
cate. Leave  it  cool  well,  as  in  this  way  it  hardens 
and  can  be  worked  better. 

In  order  to  enclose  it  in  pate  shells  made  with 
puff-paste  (see  No.  57)  there  are  two  ways.  One 
is  to  cook  the  shells  filled  with  the  stuffing,  the 
other  to  fill  them  after  they  are  cooked.  In  the 
first  case  put  the  stuffing  in  the  prepared  disk  of 
paste,  moisten  the  edge  with  a  wet  finger,  cover 
-with  another  disk  of  paste  and  cook.  In  the  se- 
cond case,  which  is  more  convenient  because  the 
shells  can  be  prepared  one  day  before,  the  two 

52 


disks  are  put  together  without  the  stuffing,  but 
in  the  upper  disk  a  circular  cut  must  be  made  as 
large  as  a  half  dollar  coin.  The  pate  on  cooking 
swells  and  leaves  an  empty  space  in  the  interior. 
Lifting  with  the  point  of  a  knife  the  little  circle 
above,  which  has  the  form  of  a  cover,  the  interior 
space  can  be  made  larger,  rilled  with  the  stuffing 
and  covered  with  the  little  cover.  In  this  way  it 
is  enough  to  warm  them  before  sending  to  the 
table.  The  puff-paste  must  always  be  glazed  with 
the  yolk  of  eggs. 

If  a  large  vol-au-vent  is  to.be  filled  instead  of 
little  pate-shells,  a  ragout  of  chicken  giblets  and 
sweetbread,  cut  in  large  pieces,  is  better. 

66 

PORK  LIVER  FRIED 
(Fegato  di  maiale  fritto) 

Cut  in  to  thin  slices  some  pork  liver,  sprinkle 
with  flour  and  fry  in  good  lard.  It  must  be  served 
with  its  sauce.  Squeeze  in  a  lemon  while  it  is  fry- 
ing. 

67 

FRIED  CROQUETTES,  BOLOGNA  STYLE 
(Fritto  composto  alia  Bolognese) 

Take  a  piece  of  stewed  lean  veal,  a  little  brain 
boiled  or  stewed,  and  a  slice  of  ham.  Chop  and 
grind  everything  fine.  Add  a  yolk  of  egg  or  a. 

53 


whole  egg,  according  to  the  quantity,  and  a  little 
Balsamella  (see  No.  54).  Put  the  hash  on  the 
fire  and  stir  until  the  egg  is  cooked.  Add  finally 
grated  cheese,  a  taste  of  nutmeg,  and,  if  you  have 
them,  some  truffles  chopped  very  fine  and  put  in 
a  plate.  When  quite  cold  make  some  little  balls 
as  large  as  a  walnut  and  roll  them  in  flour.  Then 
dip  in  beaten  egg  and  bread  crumb  ground  very 
fine,  repeating  the  operation  twice,  and  fry. 

68 

ROMAN  FRY 

(Fritto  alia  Romana) 

I. 

Put  on  the  fire  a  hash  of  onion  and  butter  and 
when  it  is  well  browned  cook  in  it  a  piece  of 
lean  veal  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper.  When 
the  meat  begins  to  brown  put  in  a  little  sherry 
wine  to  complete  the  cooking. 

Pound  the  whole  to  soften  it  a  little  using  the 
sauce  remained  and  if  this  is  not  enough  add 
some  broth  and  finally  the  yolk  of  an  egg.  See 
that  the  whole  is  not  softened  too  much. 

Now  take  some  wafers,  not  too  thin  and  cut 
them  in  squares  similar  to  those  used  by  drug- 
gists. Beat  one  egg  and  the  white  from  the  other 
egg,  then  take  a  wafer,  dip  it  in  the  egg  and  place 
it  on  a  layer  of  bread  crumbs  ground  fine.  On 
the  wafer  put  a  little  ball  of  the  compound 

54 


above,  then  dip  another  wafer  in  the  egg, 
make  it  touch  the  bread  crumbs  only  from  the 
part  that  remains  outside,  and  with  this  cover 
the  compound  attaching  it  to  the  lower  wafer. 
Sprinkle  again  with  bread  crumbs  if  necessary  and 
put  the  piece  aside  repeating  the  operation  until 
all  the  meat  is  disposed  of.  Cook  in  oil  or  fat 
and  serve  with  lemon. 

With  half  a  pound  of  meat  about  twenty  filled 
wafers  should  be  obtained. 

69 
ROMAN  FRY 

II. 

This  can  be  made  when  you  happen  to  have 
some  breast  of  roast  chicken  left  over.  Some 
chicken  breast,  two  or  three  slices  of  tongue  and 
ham,  one  tablespoonful  of  grated  cheese,  a  taste 
of  nutmeg,  are  the  ingredients  used.  Remove  the 
skin  of  the  chicken  and  cut  it  as  well  as  the  ton- 
gue and  the  ham,  into  little  cubes.  Make  a  Bal- 
samella  (see  No.  54)  in  sufficient  quantity  and 
when  it  is  cooked  add  the  above  ingredients  and 
let  it  cool  well  to  fry  using  the  wafer  as  in  the 
preceding. 

70 

RICE  PANCAKE 
(Frittelle  di  riso) 

Cook  thoroughly  Y^  Ib.  of  rice  in  about  a  pint 
of  water  giving  it  taste  with  a  little  piece  of  sugar 

55 


and  a  taste  of  lemon  peel.  Leave  it  cool  and  then 
add  three  yolks  of  eggs  and  a  little  flour.  Mix 
well  and  let  the  whole  rest  for  several  hours. 
When  you  are  going  to  fry  beat  the  white  of  an 
egg  to  a  froth,  add  it  to  the  rice  and  throw  into 
the  frying  pan  one  tablespoonful  at  a  time. 
Serve  hot  sprinkled  with  confectionery  sugar. 

71 

KIDNEY  SAUTE* 
(Rognoni  saltati) 

Take  one  large  kidney,  or  two  or.  three  small 
kidneys,  open  them  and  remove  all  the  fat.  Cut 
lengthwise  in  thin  slices,  salt  and  pour  as  much 
boiling  water  as  is  needed  to  cover  them.  When 
the  water  is  thoroughly  cooled,  drain  it  and  wipe 
well  the  slices  with  a  cloth,  then  put  them  in  a 
frying  pan  with  a  small  piece  of  butter.  Turn 
them  often  and  when  they  have  cooked  for  five 
minutes  put  in  a  pinch  of  flour  and  season  with 
salt  and  pepper.  Leave  them  on  the  fire  until 
thoroughly  cooked  and  when  you  are  going  to 
take  them  away  add  another  piece  of  butter,  a 
sprig  of  chopped  parsley  and  a  little  broth  if  need- 
ed. The  kidney  must  not  be  kept  too  much  on 
the  fire,  because  in  that  case  it  hardens. 


56 


72 

LEG  OF  MUTTON  IN  CASSEROLE 
(Cosciotto  di  castrato  in  cazzaruola) 

Take  a  shoulder  or  a  leg  of  mutton  and  after 
having  boned,  it  lard  it  with  small  pieces  of  bacon 
dipped  in  salt  and  pepper.  Salt  moderately  the 
meat  then  tie  it  tight  and  put  it  on  the  fire  in  a 
pan  that  contains  a  piece  of  butter  and  one  large 
onion  larded  with  clover.  When  it  begins  to 
brown,  take  it  away  from  the  fire  and  add  a  cup  of 
broth,  or  of  water,  a  little  bunch  of  greens  and 
some  tomatoes  cut  in  pieces.  Put  again  on  a  low 
fire  and  let  it  simmer  for  three  hours,  keeping  the 
saucepan  closed,  but  opening  from  time  to  time 
to  turn  the  meat.  When  it  is  cooked,  throw 
away  the  onion,  rub  the  sauce  through  a  sieve, 
remove  its  fat  and  put  it  with  the  meat  when 
served.  The  mutton  must  not  be  overdone,  for 
in  this  case  it  cannot  be  sliced. 

73 

STEWED  CUTLETS 
(Scaloppine  alia  Livornese) 

Take  some  slices  of  tender  beef,  beat  them  well 
and  put  them  in  a  saucepan  with  a  piece  of  butter. 
When  this  is  all  melted,  put  one  or  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  broth  to  complete  the  cooking,  sea- 
son with  salt  and  pepper,  add  a  pinch  of  flour 

57 


and  before  taking  them  from  the  fire  put  in  a 
pinch  of  chopped  parsley. 

74 

CUTLETS  OF  CHOPPED  MEAT 
(Scaloppine  di  came  battuta) 

Take  some  good  lean  beef,  clean  it  well,  re- 
moving all  little  skins  and  tendons,  then  first  chop 
and  after  grind  the  meat  fine  in  the  grinder.  Sea- 
son with  salt,  pepper  and  a  pinch  of  grated  cheese. 
Mix  well  and  give  the  meat  the  form  of  a  ball 
then  with  bread  crumbs  over  and  beneath  flatten 
it  with  the  rolling  pin  on  the  bread  board  making 
a  sheet  of  meat  as  thick  as  a  silver  dollar.  Cut 
it  in  square  pieces,  as  large  as  the  palm  of  the  hand 
and  cook  in  a  saucepan  with  butter.  When  these 
cutlets  are  browned,  pour  over  some  tomato 
sauce  and  serve. 

If  you  prefer,  use  your  hands  instead  of  the 
rolling  pin  and  then  you  can  give  them  the  shapes 
you  like. 

If  you  have  some  left  over  meat  this  can  per- 
fectly well  be  mixed  with  the  raw  meat  and  chop- 
ped and  ground  together. 

75 

VEAL  CUTLETS  STEWED 
(Scaloppine  alia  Genovese) 

Cut  some  lean  veal  meat  into  slices  and,  sup- 
posing it  be  a  pound  or  a  little  more,  without 

58 


bones,  chop  one  fourth  of  a  middle-sized  onion 
and  put  it  in  a  saucepan  with  oil  and  a  little  piece 
of  butter.  Put  over  the  cutlets,  one  layer  over 
the  other,  season  with  salt  and  butter  and  put  on 
the  fire.  When  the  meat  which  is  below  is 
browned  put  in  a  teaspoonful  of  flour  and  after 
a  while  a  hash  of  parsley  with  half  a  clove  of 
garlic.  Then  detach  the  cutlets  the  one  from  the 
other,  mix  them,  let  them  drink  in  the  sauce,  then 
pour  hot  water  and  a  little  tomato  sauce.  Make 
it  boil  slowly  and  not  much  to  complete  the  cook- 
ing and  serve  with  abundant  sauce  and  with  little 
diamonds  of  toast. 

76 

STUFFED  CUTLET 
(Braciuoline  ripiene) 

Slice  from  a  piece  of  veal  (about  one  pound) 
seven  or  eight  cutlets  and  beat  them  well  with 
a  knife  blade  to  flatten  them.  Then  chop  some 
tender  veal  meat  and  one  or  two  slices  of  ham 
and  add  a  small  quantity  of  marrow  bone  (of 
veal)  and  grated  cheese.  The  marrow  and  the 
grated  cheese  must  be  reduced  to  a  paste  with 
the  blade  of  a  knife.  One  egg  is  then  added  to 
tie  up  the  hash  and  a  pinch  of  pepper,  but  no 
salt  on  account  of  the  ham  and  the  cheese  that 
already  contain  it.  Spread  the  cutlets  and  put 
the  hash  in  the  middle,  then  roll  them  up  and  tie 
them  with  strong  thread. 

59 


Now  prepare  a  small  hash  with  a  little  onion,  a 
piece  of  celery  a  piece  of  carrot  and  a  small  quan- 
tity of  corned  beef  and  put  it  in  the  fire  in  a  sauce- 
pan with  a  small  piece  of  butter,  at  the  same  time 
that  you  put  the  cutlets.  Season  with  salt  and 
pepper  and  when  they  begin  to  brown  pour  some 
tomato  sauce  and  complete  the  cooking  with 
water.  Before  serving,  remove  the  thread  with 
which  the  cutlets  have  been  tied. 

77 

MEAT  OMELETTE 
(Polpettone) 

Take  one  pound  of  veal,  without  bones,  clean 
it  well  taking  away  all  skins  and  tendons  and 
then  chop  it  together  with  a  slice  of  ham.  Sea- 
son moderately  with  salt  pepper  and  spices,  add 
one  whole  egg  then  with  moistened  hands  make 
a  ball  of  the  chopped  meat  and  sprinkle  with 
flour. 

Make  a  hash  with  two  or  three  slices  of  onion 
(not  more)  parsley,  celery,  and  carrot,  put  it  on 
the  fire  with  a  piece  of  butter  and  when  it  is 
browned  throw  in  the  Polpettone.  Brown  well 
on  all  sides  and  then  pour  in  the  saucepan  half 
a  tumbler  of  water  in  which  half  a  tablespoonful 
of  flour  has  been  previously  diluted.  Cover  and 
make  it  simmer  on  a  very  low  fire,  seeing  that  it 
doesn't  burn.  When  you  serve  with  the  gravy 
squeeze  the  juice  of  half  a  lemon  over  it. 

60 


If  desired  a  hard  boiled  egg  can  be  put  shelled 
in  the  center  of  the  meat  ball,  so  that  it  gives  it  a 
better  appearance  when  sliced. 

78 

LAMB  WITH  PEAS 
(Agnello  ai  piselli) 

Take  a  piece  of  lamb  from  the  hind  side,  lard 
it  with  two  cloves  of  garlic  cut  in  little  strips  and 
with  some  sprigs  of  rosemary.  Chop  fine  a  piece 
of  lard  and  a  slice  of  corned  beef.  Put  the  lamb 
on  the  fire  with  this  hash  and  a  little  oil  and  let 
it  brown  after  seasoning  with  salt  and  pepper. 
When  it  is  browned  add  a  piece  of  butter,  some 
tomato  sauce,  or  tomato  paste  dissolved  in  water 
or  soup  stock  and  complete  the  cooking.  Take 
away  the  lamb,  put  the  peas  in  the  gravy,  and 
when  they  have  simmered  a  little  and  are  cooked 
put  back  the  lamb  and  serve. 

79 

SHOULDER  OF  LAMB 
(Spalla  d'agnello) 

Cut  the  meat  of  a  shoulder  of  lamb  in  small 
pieces,  or  squares.  Chop  two  small  onions, 
brown  them  with  a  piece  of  butter  and  when  they 
are  browned  put  the  meat  and  season  with  salt 
and  pepper.  Wait  until  the  meat  begins  to  brown 

61 


and  then  add  another  piece  of  butter  dipped  in 
flour.  Mix  the  whole  and  complete  the  cooking 
with  soup  stock  or  water  with  bouillon  cubea 
poured  in  little  by  little. 

80 
BREAST  OF  VEAL  STEWED 

(Stufatino  di  petto  di  vitella) 

Break  a  piece  of  breast  of  veal  leaving  all  its 
bones. 

Make  a  hash  with  garlic,  parsley,  celery  and 
carrot;  add  oil,  pepper  and  salt  and  put  on  the 
fire  with  the  meat.  Turn  it  over  often,  and  when 
it  begins  to  brown,  sprinkle  over  a  pinch  of  flour 
and  a  little  tomato  sauce  or  tomato  paste  diluted 
in  water..  Complete  the  cooking  with  broth  or 
water.  Finally  add  a  piece  of  butter  and  pieces  of 
celery  cut  in  big  pieces  which  must  have  been  be- 
fore half  cooked  in  water  and  browned  in  butter. 
Care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  saucepan  alwaya 
covered,  in  this  as  in  other  stews. 

81 

VEAL  WITH  GRAVY 
(Vitella  in  guazzetto) 

First  take  about  one  pound  of  veal  and  tie  it 
well.  Then  cover  the  bottom  of  the  saucepan  with 
some  thin  slices  of  corned  beef  and  a  piece  of 

62 


butter.  Over  this  place  half  a  lemon  cut  in  four 
thin  slices  from  which  the  skin  and  the  seeds 
must  be  removed.  Over  all  this  put  the  veal 
which  must  be  well  browned  on  all  sides,  but 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  burn  it  on  account  of 
the  small  quantity  of  liquid.  Afterward,  remove 
the  superfluous  fat  and  pour  over  a  cup  of  hot 
milk,  that  has  boiled.  Cover  the  saucepan  and 
complete  the  cooking.  Before  serving  rub  the 
gravy  through  a  sieve. 

82 
TRIPE  WITH  GRAVY 

Boil  some  tripe  in  water  and  when  it  is  boiled, 
cut  it  in  strips,  one  quarter  of  an  inch  wide  and 
wipe  it  well  with  a  cloth.  Then  put  it  in  a  sauce- 
pan with  butter,  and  when  this  is  melted,  add 
some  brown  stock  or  good  tomato  sauce.  Sea- 
son with  salt  and  pepper,  cook  thoroughly  and 
add  a  pinch  of  grated  cheese  before  taking  from 
the  saucepan. 

83 

VEAL  LIVER  IN  GRAVY 
(Fegato  di  vitella  al  sugo) 

Chop  fine  a  scallion  or  an  onion,  make  it  brown 
in  oil  and  butter,  and  when  it  has  taken  a  dark 
red  color,  throw  in  the  liver  cut  in  thin  slices. 
When  half  cooked  season  with  salt,  pepper  and 

63 


a  pinch  of  chopped  parsley.  Make  it  simmer  on 
a  low  fire  so  that  the  gravy  remains,  and  serve 
in  its  gravy,  squeezing  over  some  lemon  juice 
when  sent  to  the  table. 

In  this  and  in  similar  cases,  when  using  seal- 
lions  or  onions,  some  advise  putting  these  in  a 
cloth  after  being  chopped  and  dip  them  in  cold 
water  squeezing  them  dry  after. 

84 

MUTTON  CUTLETS  AND  FILET  OF  VEAL 
(Braciuole  di  castrato  e  filetto  di  vitella) 

Put  in  saucepan  a  slice  of  ham,  some  butter,  a 
little  bunch  composed  of  carrot,  celery  and  stems 
of  parsley  and  over  this  some  whole  cutlets  of 
mutton  seasoned  with  salt  and  pepper.  Make 
them  brown  on  both  sides,  add  another  piece  of 
butter,  if  necessary,  and  add  to  the  cutlets  some 
chicken  giblets,  sweetbreads  and  fresh  or  dry 
mushrooms  (the  latter  softened  in  water,  all  cut 
in  pieces.  When  all  this  begins  to  brown,  pour 
some  soup  stock  and  let  it  simmer  on  a  low  fire. 
Sprinkle  a  little  flour  and  finally  pour  a  wineglass 
(or  half  a  tumbler)  of  white  wine  leaving  it  boil 
a  little  more.  When  ready  to  serve  remove  the 
ham  and  the  greens,  rub  the  gray  through  a  sieve 
and  remove  the  superfluous  fat. 


64 


85 

TENDERLOIN  WITH  MARSALA 
(Filetto  al  marsala) 

Roll  a  piece  of  the  tenderloin,  tie  it  and,  if  it 
is  about  two  pounds,  put  it  on  the  fire  with  a  mid- 
dle-sized onion  cut  in  thin  slices,  some  thin  slices 
of  ham  and  a  piece  of  butter,  seasoning  but  mo- 
derately with  salt  and  pepper.  When  it  is  brown- 
ed from  all  sides  and  the  onion  is  consumed, 
sprinkle  a  pinch  of  flour,  let  this  take  color  and 
then  pour  some  soup  stock  or  water.  Make  it 
simmer  on  a  low  fire,  then  rub  the  gravy  through 
a  sieve,  skim  off  the  fat  and  with  this  and  half  a 
small  tumbler  of  Marsala  or  Sherry  wine  put  it 
back  on  the  fire  to  simmer  again.  Serve  with  the 
gravy  neither  too  liquid  nor  too  thick. 

The  filet  can  also  be  larded  with  bacon  and 
cooked  in  butter  and  Marsala  only. 

86 

MEAT  GENOVESE 
(Came  alia  Genovese) 

Take  thick  slices  of  good  lean  veal,  weighing 
about  a  pound,  beat  it  and  flatten  it  well.  Beat 
three  or  four  eggs,  season  them  with  salt  and 
pepper,  a  pinch  of  grated  cheese  and  some  chop- 
ped parsley.  Fry  the  eggs  in  butter  in  the  form 
of  an  omelet  about  the  size  of  the  meat  over 

65 


which  it  will  be  laid,  cutting  it  where  it  overlaps 
and  putting  the  pieces  where  it  lacks  so  as  to 
cover  the  meat  entirely.  After  that  roll  tight 
the  meat  together  with  the  omelet  and  tie  it  with 
thread.  Then  sprinkle  some  flour  over  it  and 
put  it  in  a  saucepan  with  a  piece  of  butter,  season- 
ing with  salt  and  pepper.  When  it  is  well  brown- 
ed on  all  sides,  pour  some  soup  stock  to  complete 
the  cooking  and  serve  it  in  its  gravy  which  will 
be  thick  enough  on  account  of  the  gravy. 

87 
RICE  PUDDING  WITH  GIBLETS 

(Sfornato  di  riso  con  rigoglie) 

Make  a  good  brown  stock  (see  No.  13)  and 
use  the  same  for  the  rice  as  well  as  for  the  giblets. 
To  these  add  some  thin  slices  of  ham  and  brown 
them  first  in  butter,  seasoned  moderately  with 
salt  and  pepper,  completing  the  cooking  with 
brown  stock.  A  taste  of  mushrooms  will  be 
found  useful. 

Brown  the  rice  equally  in  butter,  then  complete 
the  cooking  with  hot  water.  Drain  and  put  the 
brown  stock,  adding  grated  cheese  and  two  beat- 
en eggs,  when  the  rice  has  cooled  a  little. 

Take  a  smooth  mold,  round  or  oval,  grease  it 
evenly  with  butter,  cover  the  bottom  with  butter- 
ed paper  and  place  in  it  the  rice  to  harden  it  in 
the  oven.  When  taken  from  the  mold  pour  over 

66 


the  gravy  from  the  giblets,  slighthly  thickened 
with  a  pinch  of  flour  and  serve  with  the  giblets 
around,  seeing  that  there  is  plenty  of  gravy  for 
them. 

88 
PUDDING  GENOESE 

(Budino  alia  genovese) 

Chop  together  a  slice  of  veal,  some  chicken 
breast  and  two  slices  of  ham  and  then  grind  or  bet- 
ter pound  them,  with  a  small  piece  of  butter,  a 
tablespoonful  of  grated  cheese  and  a  crumb  of 
bread  soaked  with  milk.  Rub  through  a  sieve 
and  add  three  tablespoonfuls  of  Balsamella  (see 
No.  54)  which  you  will  make  thick  enough  for 
this  dish,  three  eggs  and  just  a  taste  of  nutmeg, 
mixing  everything  well. 

Take  a  smooth  mold,  grease  it  evenly  with 
butter  and  put  on  the  bottom  a  sheet  of  paper, 
cut  according  to  the  shape  of  the  bottom  and 
equally  greased  with  butter.  Pour  over  the  above 
ingredients  and  cook  in  a  vessel  immersed  in  boil- 
ing water  (double  boiler) . 

When  taken  from  the  mold,  remove  the  paper 
and  in  its  place  put  a  gravy  formed  with  chopped 
chicken  giblets  cooked  in  brown  stock.  Serve 
hot. 


67 


89 

LIVER  LOAF 
(Pane  di  fegato) 

Cut  about  one  pound  of  veal  liver  in  thin 
slices  and  four  chicken  livers  in  two  parts  and 
put  all  this  in  a  saucepan  with  rosemary  and  a 
piece  of  butter.  When  this  is  melted  put  in  an- 
other piece  and  season  with  salt  and  pepper.  After 
four  or  five  minutes  at  a  live  fire,  remove  the 
liver  (dry)  and  grind  it  together  with  the  rose- 
mary. In  the  gravy  that  remains  in  the  sauce- 
pan put  a  big  crumb  of  bread,  cut  into  small  pie- 
ces and  make  a  paste  that  will  also  be  ground  with 
the  liver.  Then  rub  everything  through  a  sieve, 
add  one  whole  egg  and  two  yolks  and  a  pinch  of 
grated  cheese,  diluting  with  brown  stock  or  water. 
Finally  put  in  a  smooth  mold  with  a  sheet  of  pa- 
per in  the  bottom,  all  evenly  greased  with  butter 
and  cook  in  a  double  boiler.  Remove  from  the 
mold  when  cool  and  serve  cold,  with  gelatine. 

90 

VEAL  WITH  TUNNY 
(Vitello  tonnato) 

Take  two  pounds  of  meat  without  bones,  re- 
move the  fat  and  tendons,  then  lard  it  with  two 
anchovies.  These  must  be  washed  and  boned 
and  cut  lengthwise,  after  opening  them,  making 

68 


in  all  eight  pieces.  Tie  the  piece  of  meat  not 
very  tight  and  boil  it  for  an  hour  and  a  half  in 
enough  water  to  cover  it  completely.  Previously 
put  into  the  water  one  quarter  of  an  onion  lard- 
ed with  clover,  one  leaf  of  laurel,  celery,  car- 
rot and  parsley.  Salt  the  water  generously  and 
don't  put  the  veal  in  until  it  is  boiling.  When  the 
veal  is  cooked,  untie,  dry  it  and  keep  it  for  two 
or  three  days  in  the  following  sauce  in  quantity 
sufficient  to  cover  it. 

Grind  |/4  pound  tunny  fish  preserved  in  olive 
oil  and  two  anchovies,  crush  them  well  with  the 
blade  of  a  knife  and  rub  through  a  sieve  adding 
good  olive  oil  in  abundance  little  by  little,  and 
squeeze  in  one  whole  lemon,  so  that  the  sauce 
should  remain  liquid.  Finally  mix  in  some  ca- 
pers soaked  in  vinegar. 

Serve  the  veal  cold,  in  thin  slices,  with  the 
sauce. 

The  stock  of  the  veal  can  be  rubbed  through 
a  sieve  and  used  for  risotto. 

91 

STUFFED  ITALIAN  SQUASH 
(Zucchini  ripieni) 

For  a  description  of  the  Zucchini  see  No.  32. 

To  make  the  stuffed  zucchini  first  cut  them 
lengthwise  in  two  halves  and  remove  the  interior 
pulp,  leaving  space  enough  for  the  filling. 

69 


Take  some  lean  veal  (quantity  in  proportion 
to  the  squashes)  cut  it  into  pieces  and  place  it 
on  the  fire  in  a  saucepan  with  a  hash  of  onion, 
parsley,  celery,  carrot,  a  little  corned  beef  cut  in 
little  pieces,  a  little  oil,  salt  and  pepper.  Stir  it 
often  with  a  spoon  and  when  the  meat  is  brown 
pour  in  a  cup  of  water  and  then  another  after  a 
while.  Then  rub  the  gravy  through  a  sieve  and 
put  it  aside. 

Chop  the  cooked  meat  fine  and  grind  it  in  the 
grinder  and  make  a  hash  of  it  and  one  egg,  a 
little  grated  cheese,  a  crumb  of  bread  boiled  in 
milk  or  in  soup  stock  and  just  a  taste  of  nutmeg. 
Put  this  hash  inside  each  half  squash  and  put 
them  to  brown  in  butter,  completing  the  cooking 
with  the  gravy  set  aside. 

92 
STRING  BEANS  AND  SQUASHES  SAUTE' 

(Fagiolini  e  zucchini  saute) 

Brown  in  butter  some  string  beans,  that  have 
been  previously  half  cooked  in  water  and  some 
raw  squashes  cut  in  cubes.  Put  the  squashes  in 
only  when  the  butter  is  beginning  to  brown.  Sea- 
son moderately  with  salt  and  butter  and  add  some 
brown  stock  or  good  tomato  sauce. 


70 


93 
STRING  BEANS  WITH  EGG  SAUCE 

(Fagiuolini  in  salsa  d'uovo) 

Take  less  than  a  pound  of  string  beans,  cutting 
off  the  two  points  and  removing  all  the  strings, 
and  then  cook  them  partially  in  water  moderately 
salted.  Take  them  from  the  kettle,  drain,  and 
brown  with  butter,  salt  and  pepper.  Beat  one 
yolk  with  a  teaspoonful  of  flour  and  the  juice  of 
half  a  small  lemon,  dilute  with  half  a  cup  of  cold 
broth  from  which  the  fat  has  been  removed  and 
put  this  liquid  on  the  fire  in  a  small  saucepan 
stirring  continually.  When  the  liquid  has  be- 
come, through  the  cooking,  like  a  cream,  pour  it 
on  the  string  beans  that  you  will  keep  on  the  fire 
a  little  longer,  with  the  sauce.  The  string  beans  so 
prepared  can  be  served  with  boiled  beef. 

94 
STRING  BEANS  IN  MOLD 

(Sformato  di  fagiolini) 

Take  one  pound  of  string  beans,  seeing  that 
they  are  quite  tender.  Cut  off  the  ends  and  re- 
move the  strings.  Throw  them  into  boiling  water 
with  a  pinch  of  salt  and  when  they  are  half  cook- 
ed take  them  away  and  put  them  in  cold  water.  If 
you  have  brown  stock  complete  the  cooking  with 
this  and  with  butter,  otherwise  brown  a  piece  of 

71 


onion,  some  parsley,  a  piece  of  celery  and  olive 
oil.  When  the  onion  is  browned  put  in  the  string 
beans  and  complete  the  cooking  with  a  little  water 
if  necessary. 

Prepare  a  Balsamella  sauce  (No.  54)  with  a 
small  piece  of  butter,  half  a  teaspoonful  of  flour 
and  half  a  cup  of  milk.  With  this,  a  tablespoon- 
ful  of  grated  cheese  and  four  beaten  eggs  bind 
the  string  beans  when  they  are  cold,  mix  and  put 
in  a  mold,  evenly  greased  with  butter  and  the 
bottom  covered  with  paper.  Cook  in  a  double 
boiler  and  serve  hot. 

95 
CAULIFLOWER  IN  MOLD 

(Sformato  di  cavolnore) 

Take  a  good  sized  cauliflower,  remove  the 
stalk  and  outside  leaves,  half  cook  it  in  water 
and  then  cut  it  into  small  pieces.  Salt  them 
and  put  them  to  brown  with  a  little  piece  of  but- 
ter and  then  complete  the  cooking  with  a  cup 
of  milk.  Then  rub  them  through  a  sieve.  Pre- 
pare a  Balsamella  (No.  54)  and  add  it  to  the  cauli- 
flower with  3  beaten  eggs  and  a  tablespoonful  of 
grated  cheese. 

Cook  in  a  greased  mold  and  serve  hot. 


72 


96 

ARTICHOKES  IN  MOLD 
(Sformato  di  carciofi) 

Remove  the  outside  leaves  of  the  artichokes, 
the  harder  part  of  all  leaves,  and  clean  the  stalks 
without  removing  them. 

Cut  each  artichoke  into  four  parts  and  put 
them  to  boil  in  salt  water  for  only  five  minutes. 
If  left  longer  on  the  fire  they  become  too 
soaked  in  water  and  lose  their  taste.  Remove 
from  the  water,  drain  them,  grind  or  pound  and 
rub  them  through  a  sieve.  Season  the  pulp  so 
obtained  with  two  or  three  beaten  eggs,  two  or 
three  tablespoonfuls  of  Balsamella  (No.  54) 
grated  cheese,  salt  and  a  taste  of  nutmeg,  but 
taste  the  seasoning  several  times  to  see  that  it  is 
correctly  dosed. 

Place  in  a  mold  with  brown  stock  or  meat 
gravy  (in  that  case  use  a  mold  with  a  hole)  and 
cook  in  double  boiler. 

97 

FRIED  MUSHROOMS 
(Funghi  fritti) 

Choose  middle-sized  mushrooms,  which  are 
also  of  the  right  ripeness:  when  they  are  too  big 
they  are  too  soft  and  if  small  they  are  too  hard. 

Scrape  the  stems,  wash  them  carefully  but  do 
not  keep  in  water,  for  then  they  would  lose  their 

73 


pleasant  odor.  Then  cut  them  in  rather  large 
slices  and  dip  them  in  flour  before  putting  in  the 
frying  pan.  Olive  oil  is  best  for  frying  mushrooms 
and  the  seasoning  is  composed  exclusively  of  salt 
and  pepper  to  be  applied  when  they  are  frying. 
They  can  also  be  dipped  in  beaten  eggs  after  be- 
ing sprinkled  with  flour,  but  this  is  superfluous. 

98 

STEWED  MUSHROOMS 

(Funghi  in  umido) 

For  a  stew  the  mushrooms  ought  to  be  below 
middle-size.  Clean,  wash  and  cut  as  for  the  pre- 
ceding. Put  a  saucepan  on  the  fire  with  olive  oil, 
one  or  two  cloves  of  oil  and  some  mint  leaves. 
When  the  oil  begins  to  splutter,  put  the  mush- 
rooms in  without  dipping  in  flour,  season  with 
salt  and  pepper  and  when  they  are  half  cooked 
pour  in  some  tomato  sauce.  Be  sparing  however, 
with  the  seasoning,  in  order  that  the  mushrooms 
do  not  absorb  it  too  much  and  so  lose  some  of 
their  own  delicate  flavor. 

99 

DRIED  MUSHROOMS 

(Funghi  secchi) 

Mushrooms  are  an  excellent  condiment  of  vari- 
ous dishes  and  for  this  reason  it  is  well  to  have 
some  always  at  hand.  Since,  however,  it  is  not 

74 


always  possible  to  have  them  fresh,  the  following 
recipe  to  prepare  dried  mushrooms  will  be  found 
useful. 

First  of  all  wait  until  there  is  a  sunny  day 
Choose  young  mushrooms  middle  sized  or  big, 
but  not  too  soft.  Scrape  the  stem,  clean 
them  well  in  order  to  remove  the  earth  and, 
without  washing  cut  them  in  big  pieces.  This 
because  when  dried  they  diminish  considerably  in 
size.  Keep  these  pieces  exposed  in  the  sun  for 
two  or  three  days,  then  thread  them  on  a  string 
(practising  a  hole  in  them)  and  keep  in  a  well 
ventilated  room  or  in  the  sun  until  they  become 
quite  dry.  Then  put  them  away  well  closed  in 
a  paper  bag,  but  don't  fail  to  look  at  them  from 
time  to  time  to  see  if  it  is  necessary  to  expose 
them  some  more  to  sun  and  ventilation. 

To  use  them  soften  in  warm  water,  but  keep 
them  in  as  little  as  possible,  so  that  they  do 
not  lose  their  delicate  flavor.  The  best  time  to 
dry  the  mushrooms  is  June  or  July. 

100 
FRIED  EGG-PLANTS 

(Melanzane  fritte) 

Egg-plant  or,  as  they  are  also  called,  mad-ap- 
ples are  an  excellent  vegetable  which  may  be 
used  as  dressing  or  as  a  dish  by  itself.  Small  or 
middle-sized  egg-plants  are  to  be  preferred,  as 

75 


the  big  ones  have  sometimes  a  slightly  bitter 
taste. 

Remove  the  skin,  cut  into  cubes,  salt  and  leave 
them  in  a  plate  for  a  few  hours.  Then  wipe  them 
to  remove  the  juice  that  they  have  thrown  out, 
dip  in  flour  and  fry  in  oil. 

101 

STEWED  EGG-PLANTS 
(Melanzane  in  umido) 

Remove  the  skin,  cut  them  into  cubes  and  place 
on  the  fire  with  a  piece  of  butter.  When  this  is 
all  absorbed,  complete  the  cooking  with  tomato 
sauce  (No.  12). 

102 
EGG-PLANTS  IN  THE  OVEN 

(Melanzane  al  forno) 

Skin  five  or  six  egg-plants,  cut  them  in  round 
slices  and  salt  them  so  that  they  throw  out  the 
water  that  they  contain.  After  a  few  hours  dip 
in  flour  and  frying  oil. 

Take  a  fireproof  vase  or  baking  tin  and  place 
the  slices  in  layers,  with  grated  cheese  between 
each  layer,  abundantly  seasoned  with  tomato 
sauce  (No.  12). 

Beat  one  egg  with  a  pinch  of  salt,  a  tablespoon- 
ful  of  tomato  sauce,  a  teaspoonful  of  grated 

76 


cheese  and  two  of  crumbs  of  bread,  and  cover  the 
upper  layer  with  this  sauce.  Put  the  vase  in  the 
oven  and  when  the  egg  is  coagulated,  serve  hot. 

103 
DRESSING  OF  CELERY 

(Sedano  per  contorno) 

The  following  are  three  ways  to  prepare  cele- 
ry to  be  served  as  seasoning  or  seasoning  for  meat 
dishes.  For  the  first  two  make  the  pieces  about 
four  inches  long,  and  two  inches  for  the  third. 
The  stalk  must  be  skinned,  cut  crosswise  and  left 
attached  to  the  rib  of  the  celery.  Boil  it  in  water 
moderately  salted  not  over  five  minutes  and  re- 
move dry. 

1 .  Put  the  celery  to  brown  in  butter,  then  com- 
plete the  cooking  with  brown  stock   (No.    13) 
and  sprinkle  with  grated  cheese  when  serving. 

2.  Put  in  saucepan  a  piece  of  butter  and  a 
hash  made  with  ham  and  a  middle  sized  onion, 
chopped  fine.     Add  two  cloves  and  make  it  boil. 
When  the  onion  is  browned  add  soup  stock  or 
hot  water  with  bouillon  cubes  and  complete  the 
cooking.     Then  rub  everything  through  a  sieve 
and  put  the  gravy  in  a  plate  with  the  celery,  sea- 
soning with  pepper  only,  as  the  salt  is  already  in 
the  ham  and  serve  with  the  gravy. 

3.  Dip  the  celery  in  flour  and  in  the  paste  for 
frying  (No.  58)  and  fry  in  fat  or  oil.     Or  else 

77 


dip  in  flour  and  then  in  beaten  egg,  wrap  in 
bread  crumbs  and  fry. 

104  

ARTICHOKES  WITH  SAUCED 

(Carciofi  in  salsa) 

Remove  the  hard  leaves  of  the  artichokes,  cut 
the  points  and  skin  the  stalk.  Divide  each  arti- 
choke into  four  parts  or  six  if  they  are  big,  and 
put  them  on  the  fire  with  butter  in  proportion, 
seasoning  with  salt  and  pepper.  Shake  the  sauce- 
pan to  turn  them  and  when  they  have  absorbed  a 
good  part  of  the  melted  butter,  pour  in  some  broth 
to  complete  the  cooking.  Remove  them  dry,  and 
in  the  gravy  that  remains  put  a  pinch  of  chopped 
parsley,  one  or  two  teaspoonfuls  of  cheese  grated 
fine,  lemon  juice,  more  salt  and  pepper  if  needed, 
and,  mixing  the  whole,  make  it  simmer  for  a 
while.  Then  remove  the  sauce  from  the  fire  and 
add  one  or  two  yolks  of  egg,  according  to  the 
quantity  and  put  back  on  the  fire  with  more  broth 
to  make  the  sauce  loose.  Put  the  artichokes  in 
the  sauce  this  second  time  to  heat  them  and  serve 
especially  as  a  side-dish  for  boiled  meat. 

105 

STUFFED  ARTICHOKES 
(Carciofi  ripieni) 

Cut  the  stalk  at  the  base,  remove  the  small  out- 
side leaves  and  wash  the  artichokes.  Then  cut 

78 


the  top  and  open  the  internal  leaves  so  that  you 
can  cut  the  bottom  with  a  small  knife  and  remove 
the  hairy  part  if  it  is  there.  Keep  aside  the  small 
interior  leaves  to  put  them  with  the  stuffing. 
This,  if  to  be  used,  for  example,  for  six  artichokes, 
must  be  composed  of  the  above  small  leaves,  J/g 
Ib.  of  ham  more  lean  than  fat,  one  fourth  of  a 
small  onion,  just  a  taste  of  garlic,  some  leaves  of 
celery  or  parsley,  a  pinch  of  dry  mushrooms, 
softened  in  water,  a  crumb  of  bread  and  a  pinch  of 
pepper,  but  no  salt. 

First  chop  the  ham,  then  grind  everything  to- 
gether and  with  the  hash  fill  the  artichokes,  and 
put  them  to  cook  standing  on  their  stalks  in  a 
saucepan  with  some  oil,  salt  and  pepper.  Some 
prefer  to  give  the  artichokes  a  half  cooking  in 
water  before  stuffing  it,  but  it  is  hardly  advisable, 
because  in  this  way  they  lose  part  of  their  special 
flavor. 

106 

ARTICHOKES  STUFFED  WITH  MEAT 
(Carciofi  ripieni  di  came) 

For  six  artichokes,  make  the  following  stuff- 


, 
]/4  Ib.  lean  veal. 

Two  slices  of  ham,  more  fat  than  lean. 
The  interior  part  of  the  artichokes. 
One  fourth  of  onion  (small). 
79 


Some  leaves  of  parsley. 

One  pinch  of  softened  dried  mushrooms. 

One  small  crumb  of  bread  rolled  and  sifted. 

One  pinch  of  grated  cheese. 
When  the  artichokes  have  been  browned  with 
oil  alone,  pour  a  little  water  and  cover  with  a 
moistened  cloth  kept  in  place  by  the  cover.  The 
steam  that  surrounds  the  artichokes  cooks  them 
better. 

• 

107 

PEAS  WITH  ONION  SAUCE 
(Piselli  alia  francese) 

The  following  recipe  is  good  for  one  of  fresh 
peas.  Take  two  young  onions,  cut  them  in  half, 
put  some  stems  of  parsley  in  the  middle  and  tie 
them.  Then  put  them  into  the  fire  with  a  piece  of 
butter  and  when  they  are  browned,  pour  over  a 
cup  of  soup  stock.  Make  it  boil  and  when  the 
onions  are  softened  rub  them  through  a  sieve 
together  with  the  gravy  that  you  will  then  put 
on  the  fire  with  the  peas  and  two  whole  hearts 
of  lettuce.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper  and  let  it 
simmer.  When  the  peas  are  half  cooked  add  an- 
other piece  of  butter  dipped  in  a  scant  table- 
spoonful  of  flour  and  pour  in  some  broth,  if  ne- 
cessary. Before  sending  to  the  table  put  in  two 
yolks  of  eggs  dissolved  in  a  little  broth. 


80 


II 

The  following  recipe  is  simpler  than  the 
preceding,  but  not  so  delicate.  Cut  an  onion  in 
very  thin  slices  and  put  it  on  the  fire  in  a  sauce- 
pan with  a  little  butter.  When  it  is  well  browned 
add  a  pinch  of  flour,  mix  and  then  add  according 
to  the  quantity,  a  cup  or  two  of  soup  stock  or 
water  with  bouillon  cubes  and  allow  the  flour  to 
cook.  Put  in  the  peas,  season  with  salt  and  pepper 
and  add,  when  they  are  half  cooked,  one  or  two 
whole  hearts  of  lettuce.  Let  it  simmer,  seeing 
that  the  gravy  is  not  too  thick. 

Before  serving  remove  the  lettuce. 

108 

PEAS  WITH  HAM 
(Piselli  col  prosciutto) 

Cut  in  two  one  or  two  young  onions,  accord- 
ing to  the  quantity  of  the  peas  and  put  them  on 
the  fire  with  oil  and  one  thick  slice  of  ham  cut 
into  small  cubes.  Brown  until  the  ham  is  shri- 
velled ;  then  put  the  peas  in,  season  with  a  pinch 
of  pepper  and  very  little  salt,  mix  and  complete 
the  cooking  with  broth,  adding  a  little  butter. 

Before  serving,  throw  the  onion  away. 


81 


109 

PEAS  WITH  CORNED  BEEF 
(Piselli  con  la  came  secca) 

Put  on  the  fire  a  hash  of  corned  beef,  garlic, 
parsley  and  oil,  season  with  a  little  salt  and  pepper 
and  when  the  garlic  is  browned,  put  the  peas  in. 
When  they  have  absorbed  the  sauce,  complete 
the  cooking  with  broth  or,  failing  that,  with 
water. 

110 

STUFFED  TOMATOES 
(Pomodori  ripieni) 

Select  ripe  middle-sized  tomatoes,  cut  them 
in  two  equal  parts  and  scoop  out  the  inside  seeds. 
Season  with  salt  and  pepper  and  fill  the  tomatoes 
with  the  following  hash,  in  such  a  way  as  to 
make  the  stuffing  come  over  the  edge  of  the 
half  tomato: 

Make  a  hash  with  onion,  parsley  and  celery, 
put  it  on  the  fire  with  a  piece  of  butter  and  when 
it  is  browned,  put  in  a  small  handful  of  dried 
mushrooms  previously  softened  in  water  and 
chopped  very  fine:  add  a  tablespoonful  of  bread 
crumbs  soaked  in  milk,  season  with  salt  and  pep- 
per and  let  the  compound  simmer,  moistening 
with  water  if  necessary.  When  you  take  from  the 
fire  add,  when  it  is  still  lukewarm,  grated  cheese 

82 


and  a  beaten  yolk  (or  two)  of  egg,  but  seeing 
that  the  compound  does  not  become  too  liquid. 

When  the  tomatoes  are  filled,  take  them  in 
the  oven  with  a  little  butter  and  oil  mixed  to- 
gether and  serve  them  as  a  side-dish  for  roast 
beef  or  steak. 

The  stuffed  tomatoes  can  be  made  simpler 
with  a  hash  of  garlic  and  parsley  mixed  with 
bread  crumbs,  salt  and  pepper  and  seasoned  with 
oil  when  they  are  in  the  saucepan. 

Ill 

CAULIFLOWER  WITH  BALSAMELLA 

(Cavolnore  colla  balsamella) 

Remove  from  a  good  sized  cauliflower  the 
external  leaves  and  the  green  ribs,  make  a  deep 
cut  crosswise  in  the  stalk  and  cook  it  in  salted 
water.  Then  cut  it  in  sections  and  brown  with 
butter,  salt  and  pepper.  Put  it  in  a  baking  tin, 
throw  over  a  small  pinch  of  grated  cheese,  cover 
with  the  balsamella  (No.  54)  and  brown  the 
surface. 

Serve  this  cauliflower  as  an  entremets  or  as 
a  side-dish  with  boiled  chicken  or  a  stew. 

112 

STUFFED  CABBAGE 
(Cavolo  ripieno) 

Take  a  big  cabbage,  remove  the  hard  outside 
leaves,  cut  the  stem  off  even  with  the  leaves 

83 


and  give  it  half  cooking  in  salt  water.  Put  it  up- 
side down  to  drain,  then  open  the  leaves  one  by 
one  until  the  heart  is  exposed  and  on  this  put  the 
stuffing.  Bring  up  all  the  leaves,  close  them  and 
tie  with  thread  crosswise. 

The  stuffing  can  be  made  with  milk  veal 
stewed  alone,  or  with  sweetbread  or  chicken 
liver,  all  chopped  fine.  To  make  it  more  delicate, 
add  some  balsamella  (No  54)  a  pinch  of  grated 
cheese,  one  yolk  of  egg  and  a  taste  of  nutmeg. 
Complete  the  cooking  of  the  cabbage  in  the  sau- 
ce of  this  stew,  adding  a  little  butter,  on  a  low 
fire  or  in  the  oven  kept  low. 

Instead  of  filling  the  whole  cabbage,  the  larger 
leaves  may  be  filled  one  by  one,  rolling  and  ty- 
ing them. 

113 

SIDE-DISH  OF  SPINACH 
(Spinaci  per  contorno) 

After  cooking  the  spinach  in  boiling  water  and 
chopping  them  fine,  the  spinach  can  be  cooked 
in  different  ways: 

1 .  With  butter,  salt  and  pepper,  adding  a  little 
brown  stock,  if  you  have  it,  or  a  few  tablespoon- 
fuls  of  broth,  or  milk. 

2.  With  onion  sauce    (onion  chopped  very 
fine)  and  butter. 

3.  With  butter  salt  and  pepper,  adding  a  very 
small  pinch  of  grated  cheese. 

84 


4.  With  butter,  a  drop  of  olive  oil  and  tomato 
sauce  (No.  12)  or  tomato  paste  diluted  with 
soup  stock  or  water. 

114 
ASPARAGUS 

(Sparagi) 

Asparagus  can  be  prepared  in  many  different 
ways,  but  the  simplest  and  best  is  that  of  boil- 
ing them  and  serving  them  seasoned  with  olive 
oil  and  vinegar  or  lemon  juice.  However  there 
are  other  ways  as,  for  instance,  the  following: 
Put  them  whole  to  brown  a  little  with  the  green 
part  in  butter  and,  after  seasoning  them  with 
salt,  pepper  and  a  pinch  of  grated  cheese,  pour 
over  the  melted  butter  when  it  is  browned.  Or 
else  divide  the  white  from  the  green  part  and  place 
them  as  follows  in  a  fireproof  plate:  Dust  the 
bottom  with  grated  cheese  and  dispose  over  the 
points  of  the  asparagus  one  near  the  other; 
season  with  salt,  pepper,  grated  cheese  and  little 
pieces  of  butter.  Make  another  layer  of  asparagus 
and,  seasoning  in  the  same  way,  continue  until 
you  have  them.  Be  moderate  in  the  seasoning. 
Cross  the  layers  of  asparagus  like  a  trestle,  put 
on  the  oven  and  keep  until  the  seasoning,  is 
melted.  Serve  hot. 

If  you  have  some  brown  stock,  parboil  them 
first  and  complete  the  cooking  with  brown  stock, 

85 


adding  a  little  bust  and  dusting  moderately  with 
grated  cheese. 

115 

FISH  WITH  BREAD  CRUMBS 
(Pesce  col  pane  grattato) 

This,  which  can  also  be  served  as  a  side-dish,  is 
made  especially  when  you  have  boiled  fish  of 
good  quality  left  over. 

Cut  it  into  little  pieces,  remove  carefully  all 
the  bones,  then  put  it  in  the  balsamella  (No.  54) 
and  season  with  enough  salt,  grated  cheese  and 
some  mushrooms  chopped  fine.  If  dried  mush- 
rooms soften  in  water  first.  Then  take  a  fire- 
proof plate,  grease  it  evenly  with  butter  and  dust 
with  bread  crumbs  ground  fine;  pour  into  it  the 
fish  prepared  as  above  and  cover  with  a  thin 
layer  of  bread  crumbs.  Finally  put  over  a  piece 
of  butter,  brown  in  the  oven  and  serve  hot. 

116 

STEWED  FISH  CUTLETS 
(Pesce  a  taglio  in  umido) 

The  fish  that  can  be  used  for  this  dish  are  the 
tunny,  the  umber  or  grayling,  the  sword  fish  and 
any  piece  of  fish  of  large  size  and  good  savor. 
A  pound  may  be  sufficient  for  four  or  five  per- 
sons. 

86 


Remove  the  scales,  clean  and  dry  well,  dip  in 
flour  and  put  to  brown  in  a  little  oil.  Remove  dry, 
throw  away  the  oil  that  remains  and  clean  the 
saucepan.  Make  a  hash,  chopped  very  fine,  with 
half  a  middle  sized  onion,  a  piece  of  white  celery 
and  a  good  pinch  of  parsley.  Put  this  to  brown 
on  the  fire  with  sufficient  oil  and  season  with 
salt,  pepper  and  one  whole  clove.  When  it  is 
browned  put  abundant  tomato  sauce  (No  12)  or 
tomato  paste  diluted  in  broth  or  water.  Let  it 
simmer  for  a  while,  then  place  the  fish  to  complete 
the  cooking,  turning  it  over  frequently.  The  fish 
must  be  served  with  this  thick  gravy  that  ought 
to  be  abundant. 

117 

WHITING  WITH  ANCHOVY  SAUCE 
(Merluzzo  alia  Palermitana) 

Take  one  whiting,  one  pound  or  a  little 
more,  and  trim  all  the  fins,  leaving  the  tail  and 
the  head.  Split  it  to  remove  the  bone,  and  season 
with  a  little  salt  and  pepper.  Turn  it  on  the  back, 
grease  with  oil,  season  with  salt  and  pepper,  dust 
with  bread  crumbs  then  lay  it  with  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  oil  on  a  fireproof  plate  or  baking 
tin. 

Take  three  or  four  good  sized  anchovies,  bone 
and  clean  them,  chop  them  and  put  on  the  fire 
with  two  tablespoonfuls  of  oil,  but  do  not  allow 

87 


•<r"1"  •' 


it  to  boil.  With  this  sauce  cover  the  back  of  the 
fish  and  dust  it  all  with  bread  crumbs,  putting 
also  some  leaves  of  rosemary.  Bake  in  the  oven, 
allowing  a  little  crust  to  form  over,  but  see  that 
it  doesn't  dry  up,  pouring  over  to  this  purpose 
more  oil.  Before  removing  from  the  tin  squeeze 
half  a  lemon  over. 

This  dish  can  be  served  surrounded  by  little 
toast  with  caviar,  or  anchovies  and  butter. 

118 

STEWED  EEL 
(Anguille  in  urnido) 

For  this  dish  it  is  preferable  to  have  good  sized 
eels  that  must  not  be  skinned,  but  cut  in  small 
pieces. 

Chop  some  onion  and  parsley,  put  it  on  the 
fire  with  oil,  salt,  and  pepper,  and  when  the  onion 
is  browned,  add  the  pieces  of  eel.  Wait  until  it 
has  absorbed  the  taste  of  the  onion  sauce  and  then 
complete  the  cooking  with  tomato  sauce  (No. 
12). 

See  that  there  is  plenty  of  gravy  and  serve  with 
little  squares  or  diamonds  of  toast. 

119 

FFI.S  WITH  PEAS 
(Anguille  coi  piselli) 

Cook  the  eels  as  above  with  the  onion  sauce 
and  when  it  is  cooked  remove  it  dry  to  cook  the 

88 


green  peas  in  the  sauce.  The  pieces  of  eel  should 
be  put  back  in  the  sauce  to  be  warmed.  No 
tomato  sauce  is  necessary  here. 

120 
MUSSELS  WITH  EGG  SAUCE 

(Arselle  in  salsa  d'uovo) 

A  good  washing  with  fresh  water  is  sufficient 
for  mussels  that  do  not  have  any  sand  to  be 
cleaned  away.  Put  them  on  the  fire  with  a  sauce 
of  oil,  garlic,  parsley  and  a  pinch  of  pepper. 
Shake  them  and  keep  the  saucepan  covered  see- 
ing that  they  do  not  absorb  all  of  the  sauce.  Take 
them  out  when  they  are  open  and  prepare  the 
following  sauce:  one  or  more  yolks  of  egg,  ac- 
cording to  the  quantity,  lemon  juice,  one  tea- 
spoonful  of  flour,  broth  and  some  of  their  own 
juice.  Cook  this  sauce  until  it  becomes  a  smooth 
cream  and  pour  it  on  the  mussels  when  they  are 
served. 

121 

MUSSELS  WITH  TOMATO  SAUCE 
(Arselle  alia  livornese) 

Chop  fine  half  an  onion  and  put  it  on  the  fire 
with  oil  and  a  pinch  of  pepper.  When  the  onion 
begins  to  brown  add  a  pinch  of  parsley  chopped 
not  very  fine  and  after  put  in  the  mussels  with 

89 


tomato  sauce  (No.  12)  or  tomato  paste  diluted 
in  water.  Shake  them  often  and  when  they  are 
open,  put  them  over  slices  of  toast  prepared  be- 
forehand and  arranged  on  a  plate. 

122 
CODFISH 

(Baccala) 

I 

Freshen  and  soak  the  codfish  in  cold  water, 
changing  the  water  two  or  three  times,  or,  better, 
keeping  it  for  some  time  in  a  vase  under  running 
cold  water.  Then  cut  it  into  pieces  as  large  as  the 
palm  of  the  hand  and  dip  them  in  flour  until 
they  are  well  covered.  Then  put  a  kettle  or 
a  saucepan  on  the  fire  with  plenty  of  oil  and 
two  or  three  cloves  of  garlic,  whole  but  a  little 
crushed.  When  the  garlic  begins  to  brown 
put  in  the  codfish  and  brown  it  on  both  sides, 
stirring  it  often,  so  that  it  doesn't  burn.  Salt  is 
not  necessary,  or  at  least  only  a  little  after  tast- 
ing, but  a  little  pepper  will  not  be  amiss.  Finally 
pour  over  some  tomato  sauce  (No.  1 2)  or  tomato 
paste  diluted  in  water,  let  it  boil  a  little  more  and 
serve. 


90 


123 

II 

The  following  is  another  way  to  prepare  the 
codfish,  slightly  different  from  the  preceding. 
Cut  the  codfish  as  above,  then  put  it  as  it  is  in 
saucepan  with  some  olive  oil.  Spread  over  it  a 
hash  of  garlic  and  parsley  and  season  with  a 
pinch  of  pepper,  oil  and  little  pieces  of  butter. 
Cook  on  a  good  fire  and  turn  it  with  care,  be- 
cause, not  being  sprinkled  with  flour,  it  breaks 
easily.  When  it  is  cooked,  squeeze  a  lemon  over 
and  serve. 

124 

FRIED  CODFISH 

(Baccala  fritto) 

Place  the  codfish  on  the  fire — after  washing 
as  explained  in  No.  107 — in  a  kettle  with  cold 
water  and  as  salt,  and  as  soon  as  the  water  boils, 
remove  the  codfish. 

After  boiling  cut  it  in  little  pieces  and  re- 
move all  the  bones.  Sprinkle  some  flour  and  dip 
in  a  frying  paste  composed  of  water,  flour  and 
a  little  oil.  Fry  in  oil  and  serve  hot. 

125 
CODFISH  CROQUETTES 

(Cotolette  di  baccala) 

Boil  as  explained  above  and,  if  the  quantity 
is  one  pound  or  a  little  more  put  together  two 

91 


anchovies  and  some  parsley,  chopping  every- 
thing together  very  fine.  Add  some  pepper,  a 
tablespoonful  of  grated  cheese,  three  or  four 
tablespoonfuls  of  pap,  composed  of  bread  crumbs 
in  large  pieces,  water  and  butter,  and  two  eggs. 
Give  the  compound  the  form  of  several  flat  cut- 
lets,dip  them  in  beaten  egg  and  in  ground  bread 
crumbs.  Fry  in  oil  and  serve  with  lemon,  or  to- 
mato sauce. 

126 

FRIED  DOG-FISH 
(Palombo  fritto) 

Cut  the  dogfish  in  slices,  not  very  thick,  and 
place  it  in  a  plate  with  beaten  eggs  somewhat 
salted.  Leave  for  some  hours  until  half  an  hour 
before  frying,  dip  the  slices  in  a  mixture  of  bread 
crumbs,  grated  cheese,  garlic  and  parsley  chop- 
ped fine,  salt  and  pepper.  A  clove  of  garlic  is 
sufficient  for  one  pound  of  fish.  Fry  in  oil  and 
serve  with  lemon. 

127 

STEWED  DOG-FISH 
(Palombo  in  urnido) 

Cut  the  dog-fish  in  rather  big  pieces  and  then 
make  a  hash  of  garlic,  parsley  and  very  little 
onion.  Put  this  hash  on  the  fire  with  oil  and 

92 


when  it  is  sufficiently  browned,  put  the  pieces 
of  dog-fish  and  season  with  salt  and  pepper. 
When  the  fish  is  cooked  pour  over  some  tomato 
sauce  (No.  12),  let  this  simmer  for  a  while,  then 
serve. 

128 
ROAST-BEEF 

(Arrosto) 

Although  roast-beef  is  not  an  Italian  dish,  still 
it  is  prepared  in  a  peculiar  way  by  the  Italians, 
and  hence  this  recipe  finds  its  place  here. 

To  obtain  a  good  roast-beef  not  less  than  two 
pounds  ought  to  be  cooked  on  a  strong  fire.  It 
ought  to  be  covered  with  good  olive  oil  and  fin- 
ally with  cup  of  soup  stock  which  with  the  oil  and 
the  juice  from  the  meat  will  form  a  rich  gravy, 
Salt  it  only  when  it  is  half  cooked  and  do  it  mo- 
derately, because  the  beef  is  already  tasty  by 
itself. 

Put  it  on  the  fire  half  an  hour  before  the  soup 
is  served  and  the  meal  begins.  This  will  be  suf- 
ficient if  the  piece  is  not  very  big.  To  ascertain 
the  cooking  prick  it  in  the  bigger  part  with  a  thin 
larding-pin,  but  not  often,  in  order  not  to  allow 
too  much  juice  to  escape.  The  juice  must  neither 
be  of  the  color  of  the  blood  nor  too  dark. 

If  baked  it  is  to  be  seasoned  with  salt,  oil  and 
a  piece  of  butter,  surrounded  by  raw  potatoes 


peeled.  Pour  in  the  kettle  a  cup  of  broth  or  of 
water.  If  you  do  not  like  cold  roast  beef,  cut  it 
into  slices  and  warm  with  butter  and  brown  stock 
or  tomato  sauce. 

129 
ROAST  VEAL 

(Arrosto  di  vitella) 

Choose  for  that  milk  veal  that  is  to  be  found 
all  the  year  round,  although  it  is  always  better 
during  the  spring  or  summer. 

The  piece  or  pieces  of  veal  can  be  cooked  in  a 
saucepan,  slightly  larded  with  garlic  and  rose- 
mary, with  oil,  butter  and  a  hash  of  corned  beef, 
salt,  pepper  and  tomato  sauce.  In  the  gravy  fresh 
peas  can  be  cooked. 

130 
POT  ROAST 

(Arrosto  morto) 

This  can  be  done  with  all  kinds  of  meats,  but 
the  best  is  milk  veal.  Take  a  good  piece  of  the 
loins,  roll  it  and  tie  with  a  string  and  put  on  the 
fire  with  good  olive  oil  and  butter,  both  in  small 
quantity.  Brown  well  from  all  sides,  salt  when 
half  cooked  and  complete  the  cooking  with  a  half 
cup  of  broth,  seeing  that  little  juice  remains.  If 
no  broth  is  at  hand,  use  tomato  sauce,  or  tomato 

94 


paste  diluted  with  water.  Some  corned  beef  chop- 
ped fine  can  also  be  added. 

131 

POT  ROAST  WITH  GARLIC  AND 
ROSEMARY 

(Arrosto  morto  colFodore  dell'aglio  e  del 
ramerino) 

Cook  the  meat  as  above,  but  add  a  clove  of 
garlic  and  one  or  two  bunches  of  rosemary  in 
the  saucepan.  When  serving  the  roast  rub  the 
gravy  through  a  sieve  without  pressing  and  sur- 
round the  meat  with  potatoes  or  vegetables 
cooked  apart. 

The  leg  of  lamb  comes  very  well  in  this  way, 
baked  in  the  oven. 

132 
BIRDS 

(Arrosto  di  uccelli) 

The  best  way  to  cook  birds,  and  that  nearly 
always  used  by  the  Italians,  is  roasted  at  the  spit. 
They  must  be  spitted  with  a  small  slice  of  bread 
between  each  bird.  Also  wrap  each  bird  in  very 
thin  slices  of  bacon,  in  such  a  way  that  it  can  be 
spitted  with  this  covering.  Mind  to  slice  the  bacon 
almost  as  thin  as  paper.  Pass  some  oil — only 
once — over  when  they  begin  to  brown,  using 

95 


a  brush  or  a  feather,  and  salt  only  once,  mode- 
rately. 

Put  on  the  fire  when  near  to  be  served,  other- 
wise they  may  get  dry  and  lose  much  of  their 
flavor.  The  cooking  is  rapidly  done  if  on  a  good 
fire. 

133 
ROAST  OF  LAMB 

(Arrosto  d'agnello) 

Take  a  leg  of  lamb  and  season  it  with  salt, 
pepper,  oil  and  a  drop  of  vinegar.  Pierce  it  here 
and  there  with  the  point  of  a  knife  and  leave  it 
like  this  for  several  hours.  Also  lard  it  with  bay 
leaf  or  rosemary  to  be  removed  when  serving. 
The  leg  of  lamb  can  be  baked  or,  as  the  Italians 
do,  cooked  at  the  spit. 

124 
LEG  OF  MUTTON 

(Cosciotto  di  castrato  arrosto) 

Before  cooking  see  that  several  days  elapse 
after  the  animal  has  been  butchered.  This,  natur- 
ally, according  to  the  temperature.  Beat  it  well 
with  a  wooden  mallet,  then  skin  and  remove  the 
middle  bone,  without  spoiling  the  meat.  Then  tie 
it  and  give  it  a  good  fire  at  the  beginning,  cover- 
ing the  fire  when  half  cooked.  Let  it  cook  in  its 

96 


own  juice  and  in  a  cup  of  broth  strained  to  re- 
move the  fat ;  nothing  else.  Salt  when  it  is  almost 
cooked,  but  see  that  it  is  neither  too  well  done  nor 
rare,  just  medium.  Serve  with  its  juice  apart  in 
a  sauce. 

135 
ROAST  OF  HARE 

.     (Arrosto  di  lepre) 

The  part  of  the  hare  fitted  for  roast  is  the  hind 
quarters,  but  the  limbs  of  this  game  are  covered 
with  little  skins  that  must  be  carefully  removed, 
before  cooking,  without  cutting  the  muscles. 

Before  roasting  keep  it  soaking  for  twelve  or 
fourteen  hours  in  a  liquid  prepared  as  follows: 
put  on  the  fire  in  a  kettle  three  tumblers  of  water 
with  half  a  tumbler  of  vinegar  or  less  in  propor- 
tion with  the  piece  to  be  cooked,  three  of  four 
scallions  chopped  fine,  one  or  two  bay-leaves,  a 
bunch  of  parsley,  a  little  salt  and  a  pinch  of  pep- 
per; make  it  boil  for  five  or  six  minutes,  cool 
and  pour  when  cold  over  the  hare.  When  you 
remove  the  latter  from  the  liquid  wipe  it  and  lard 
it  all  with  little  pieces  of  good  bacon. 

Cook  on  a  low  fire,  salt  it  sufficiently  and 
grease  with  cream  and  nothing  else.  Never  use 
the  liver  of  the  hare  which,  it  is  said,  is  very  indi- 
gestible. 


97 


136 
POT  ROAST  LARDED 

( Arrosto  morto  lardellato) 

Take  a  piece  short  and  thick  of  beef  or  veal, 
quite  tender  and  weighing  about  two  pounds  or 
a  little  more.  Lard  it  with  ham  or  bacon  cut  in 
little  pieces.  Tie  with  a  string  and  put  it  in  a 
stewpan  with  a  piece  of  butter,  one  fourth  of  a 
middle-sized  onion  cut  in  two  pieces,  three  or 
four  ribs  of  celery  half  an  inch  thick  and  as  many 
slices  of  carrot.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper  and 
when  the  meat  begins  to  brown — turning  it  of- 
ten— pour  over  one  cup  of  water  and  complete 
the  cooking  on  a  low  fire,  leaving  it  to  absorb 
great  part  of  the  gravy.  See,  however,  that  it 
doesn't  dry  up  and  become  black.  When  you 
send  to  the  table  strain  the  juice  that  has  re- 
mained and  pour  it  on  the  meat,  that  may  be  sur- 
rounded with  potatoes  cut  in  pieces  or  kept 
whole  if  small,  previously  browned  in  butter  or 
oil. 

137 
PIGEON  SURPRISE 

(Piccione  a  sorpresa) 

The  pigeon  (or  chicken)  must  be  opened  and 
stuffed  with  a  cutlet  of  milk  veal.  Of  course  this 
cutlet  must  be  of  proportionate  size.  Beat  it  well 

98 


to  render  it  thinner  and  more  tender,  season  with 
salt,  pepper,  a  pinch  of  spices  and  little  pieces  of 
butter,  roll  it  and  put  inside  the  pigeon  sewing 
the  opening.  The  liver  and  giblets  of  the  pigeon 
can  be  cooked  apart  in  brown  stock  or  in  butter, 
after  being  chopped.  With  the  resulting  gravy 
the  cutlet  can  be  smeared.  In  this  way  the  diffe- 
rent flavor  of  the  two  qualities  of  meat  is  better 
amalgamated. 

138 

STUFFED  BEEF  CUTLET 
Braciuola  di  manzo  ripiena) 

The  ingredients  for  this  dish  are  a  slice  of  beef 
half  an  inch  thick,  weighing  about  one  pound, 
half  a  pound  or  less  of  lean  milk  veal,  two  small 
slices  of  ham  and  two  or  three  of  tongue,  one 
scant  tablespooful  of  grated  cheese,  a  piece  of 
butter,  two  chicken  livers,  one  egg,  a  crumb  of 
bread  as  large  as  a  closed  fist. 

Make  a  hash  with  a  small  onion,  a  little  celery, 
carrot  and  parsley,  put  it  on  the  fire  with  the 
butter  and  when  it  is  browned,  place  in  the  sauce- 
pan the  veal  cut  in  small  pieces  and  the  chicken 
livers,  season  with  little  salt  and  pepper  and 
complete  the  cooking  with  a  little  broth.  Remove 
the  veal  and  chicken  when  cooked,  and  chop 
them  fine.  In  the  gravy  that  remains  make  a  pap 
rather  hard  with  the  crumb  of  bread,  moistening 

99 


with  broth  if  necessary.  Now  mix  the  chopped 
meat,  the  pap,  the  eggs,  the  cheese,  the  ham  and 
tongue  cut  in  little  pieces.  When  the  stuffing  is 
composed  thus,  dip  the  cutlet  in  water,  in  order  to 
stretch  it  better,  beat  it  with  the  back  of  the  knife 
and  flatten  with  its  blades.  Put  the  stuffing  inside 
and  roll  up  and  tie  tightly  with  a  string  crosswise. 
Roast  or  bake  with  oil  and  salt. 

139 

STUFFED  CHICKEN 
(Polio  ripieno) 

For  a  middle-sized  fowl  use  the  following  in- 
gredients: two  sausages,  the  liver  and  giblets  of 
the  fowl,  eight  or  ten  chestnuts  well  roasted, 
some  pieces  of  mushrooms,  a  taste  of  nutmeg, 
one  egg.  If,  instead  of  a  fowl,  it  is  a  turkey, 
double  the  dose. 

Begin  by  giving  the  sausages  and  the  giblets 
half  a  cooking,  moistening  them  with  a  little  broth 
if  necessary.  Season  with  a  little  salt  and  pepper 
on  account  of  the  sausages  that  already  contain 
them.  Remove  them  and  in  the  gravy  that  re- 
mains put  a  crumb  of  bread,  in  order  to  obtain 
with  a  little  broth  two  tablespoon fuls  of  thick 
pap.  Skin  the  sausages,  chop  the  chicken  giblets 
and  the  giblets  and  grind  everything  together 
with  the  chestnuts,  the  egg  and  the  pap;  this  is 
the  stuffing  with  which  the  fowl  is  to  be  filled, 

100 


to  be  baked  afterward.  It  is  more  tasty  cold  than 
hot,  and  it  can  also  be  cut  better. 

140 

CHICKEN  WITH  SAUCE  PIQUANTE 
(Polio  al  diavolo) 

This  ought  to  be  cooked  with  Cayenne  pepper 
and  served  with  a  highly  seasoned  sauce,  but  not 
everybody  likes  that  and  a  simpler  way  to  cook 
the  chicken  "al  diavolo"  is  the  following: 

Take  a  young  chicken,  remove  the  neck  and 
the  legs,  open  it  all  in  front  and  flatten  it  open 
as  much  as  possible.  Wash  and  wipe  dry  with  a 
towel,  then  put  it  on  the  grill  and  when  it  begins 
to  brown  turn  it.  Grease  it  with  melted  butter  or 
with  oil,  using  a  brush,  and  season  with  salt  and 
pepper.  The  later  may  be  Cayenne  pepper  for 
those  who  like  it.  Keep  turning  and  greasing  until 
it  is  all  cooked. 

To  prepare  the  sauce  piquante  that  many  like 
with  chicken  broiled  in  this  way,  put  four  table- 
spoonfuls  of  butter  in  a  saucepan  and  when  it 
begins  to  brown  add  two  tablespoonfuls  of  flour 
and  stir  until  it  is  well  browned,  but  do  not  let 
it  burn.  Draw  to  a  cooler  place  on  the  range  and 
slowly  add  two  cupfuls  of  brown  stock,  stirring 
constantly,  add  salt  and  a  dash  of  Cayenne  and 
let  simmer  for  ten  minutes.  In  another  saucepan 
boil  four  tablespoonfuls  of  vinegar  one  table- 

101 


spoonful  of  chopped  onion,  one  teaspoonful  of 
sugar  rapidly  for  five  minutes;  then  add  it  to  the 
sauce  and  at  the  same  time  add  one  tablespoonful 
of  chopped  capers  two  tablespoonfuls  of  chop- 
ped pickle  and  one  teaspooful  of  tarragon  vine- 
gar. Stir  well  and  let  cook  for  two  minutes  to 
heat  the  pickles.  If  the  sauce  becomes  too  thick 
dilute  it  with  a  little  water. 

This  sauce  is  excellent  for  baked  fish  and  all 
roasts  and  boiled  meats,  besides  being  a  fitting 
condiment  for  the  chicken  "al  diavolo". 

141 

CHICKEN  WITH  HAM 
(Polio  in  porchetta) 

Fill  a  chicken  with  thin  strips  of  ham,  about 
half  an  inch  wide.  Add  three  cloves  (or  sections) 
of  garlic,  two  little  bunches  of  fennel  and  a  few 
grains  of  pepper.  Season  outside  with  salt  and 
pepper  and  cook  in  a  saucepan  with  butter,  or 
preferably  bake  in  the  oven.  Sausages  cut  length- 
wise and  previously  skinned  can  be  substituted 
for  the  ham. 

142 

CHICKEN  SAUTE' 
(Polio  saltato) 

Take  a  young  chicken,  remove  the  neck  and 
trim  the  wings.  Cut  away  the  legs.  Cut  the  chic- 

102 


ken  into  six  pieces.  Remove  some  of  the  bones. 
Beat  an  egg  with  a  teaspoonful  of  water  and 
place  in  it  the  pieces  of  chicken  after  dipping 
them  in  flour  and  seasoning  generously  with  salt 
and  pepper.  Leave  the  pieces  in  the  egg  until  it 
is  time  for  cooking.  Then  take  the  pieces  one  by 
one,  sprinkle  with  bread  crumbs  and  place  a 
saucepan  with  a  good  piece  of  butter  on  the  fire. 
When  the  butter  begins  to  brown  put  in  the 
pieces  of  chicken  from  the  side  of  the  skin,  then 
turn  them  when  browned  to  the  other  side.  Let 
them  on  a  good  fire  for  about  ten  minutes.  Serve 
with  lemon.  The  chicken  prepared  in  this  way  is 
good  also  when  cold. 

143 
AFRICAN  HEN 

(Gallina  di  Faraone) 

This  fowl,  that  resembles  the  partridge,  should 
not  be  too  fresh,  like  all  game. 

The  best  way  to  cook  the  African  hen  is  roast- 
ed at  the  spit.  Put  in  the  inside  a  ball  of  butter 
dipped  in  salt  and  wrap  it  in  a  piece  of  paper 
greased  with  butter  and  sprinkled  with  salt.  This 
paper  must  be  removed  when  the  fowl  is  nearly 
cooked,  and  then  the  cooking  is  completed  greas- 
ing with  more  butter  and  adding  more  salt. 


103 


144 
TAME  DUCK  ROASTED 

(Anatra  domestic*  arrosto) 

Salt  it  inside  and  bandage  all  the  breast  with 
slices  of  bacon,  large  and  thin.  Grease  with  oil 
and  salt  moderately  when  the  cooking  is  almost 
complete.  If  you  have  a  wild  duck  grease  with 
butter,  as  the  meat  is  drier. 

145 
TURKEY 

(Tacchino) 

The  turkey  has  been  imported  to  Europe  from 
America,  but  it  is  nevertheless  a  well  known  dish 
in  Italian  families,  although  not  enjoying  the  po- 
pularity that  it  has  on  this  side  of  the  ocean. 
When  roasted  it  is  generally  larded  moderately 
with  little  pieces  of  garlic  and  bay-leaf  or  rose- 
mary and  seasoned  with  a  hash  of  corned  beef  or 
bacon,  a  little  butter,  salt  and  pepper,  tomato 
sauce  or  tomato  paste  diluted  in  water.  The 
breast,  flattened  ( until  it  is  about  half  an  inch 
thick  and  seasoned  generously  some  hours  before 
cooking  with  oil,  salt  and  pepper,  is  excellent 
broiled  on  the  grill. 


104 


146 
LOIN  OF  PORK  ROASTED 

(Lombo  di  maiale  arrosto) 

The  loin  of  pork,  cut  in  little  pieces  forms  an 
excellent  roast  at  the  spit.  The  pieces  of  pork  are 
to  be  divided  by  little  pieces  of  toast  and  greased 
with  oil. 

If  the  pork  is  to  be  baked,  choose  that  piece 
of  the  loin  that  has  its  ribs  and  that  may  weigh 
six  or  eight  pounds.  Lard  it  with  garlic,  rose- 
mary or  bay  leaf  and  a  few  cloves,  but  modera- 
tely, and  season  with  salt  and  pepper. 

This  roast  is  very  popoular  in  Italy,  where  they 
call  it  arista. 

147 
LEG  OF  LAMB 

(Agnello  aiPOrientale) 

This  is  a  way  to  cook  lamb  in  use  in  the  Orient 
and  adopted  by  the  Italians,  especially  in  South- 
ern Italy.  The  leg  of  lamb  is  to  be  larded  with 
the  larding  pin  with  slices  of  bacon  seasoned  with 
salt  and  pepper,  greased  with  butter  or  milk,  or 
milk  alone  and  salted  when  half  cooked. 

The  Arabs,  who  are  very  fond  of  this  dish,  do 
not  lard  it,  as  pork  is  forbidden  by  their  religion, 
but  cook  it  with  an  abundance  of  milk. 


105 


148 
BROILED  PIGEON 

(Piccioue  in  gratella) 

Take  a  young,  but  fat  pigeon,  divide  it  in  two 
parts  lengthwise  and  flatten'  it  well  'with  the 
hands.  Then  put  it  to  brown  in  oil  for  four  or 
five  minutes,  just  to  harden  the  meat.  Season 
when  still  hot  with  salt  and  pepper,  then  arrange 
it  as  follows. 

Melt  in  the  fire,  without  boiling  it,  a  piece  of 
butter  and  mix  the  liquid  butter  with  one  beaten 
egg.  Dip  the  pigeon  in  the  butter  and  egg  and 
keep  it  until  it  absorbs  them.  Then  sprinkle  with 
bread  crumbs  ground  fine.  Cook  on  a  grill  on  a 
a  low  fire  and  serve  with  a  sauce  or  a  side  dish. 

149 
STEAK  IN  THE  SAUCEPAN 

(Bistecca  nel  tegame) 

If  you  have  a  steak  that  does  not  appear  to 
be  too  tender,  put  it  in  a  saucepan  with  a  little 
piece  of  butter  and  some  good  olive  oil,  with  a 
taste  of  garlic  and  bay-leaf  or  rosemary.  Add, 
if  necessary,  a  little  broth  or  water  or  tomato 
sauce  and  serve  with  potatoes  cooked  in  the 
gravy  that  can  be  made  more  abundant  with 
more  broth,  butter  and  tomato  sauce. 


106 


150 
VEAL  KIDNEY  WITH  ANCHOVY 

(Rognone  alle  acciughe) 

Take  a  veal  kidney,  remove  the  fat,  cut  it 
open  and  cover  with  boiling  water.  When  the 
water  has  cooled,  remove  the  kidney,  wipe  with 
a  cloth,  and  pass  through  it  clean  sticks  to  make 
it  stay  open.  Season  with  melted  butter,  salt  and 
pepper  and  leave  it  so  prepared  for  an  hour  or 
two. 

Then  take  another  piece  of  butter  and  two  or 
three  anchovies.  Clean  the  latter,  chop  and  mix 
with  the  butter  with  the  blade  of  a  knife,  making 
a  ball.  Cook  the  kidney  on  the  grill,  but  not  too 
much,  in  order  to  keep  it  tender,  put  it  on  a  plate 
and  grease  when  hot  with  the  ball  of  butter  and 
anchovies. 

151 

VEAL  KIDNEY  SLICED 
(Rognone  di  vitello  affettato) 

Cut  in  thin  slices  one  or  two  veal  kidneys, 
removing  the  granulous  part  that  is  to  be  found 
in  the  middle,  and  put  the  slices  in  a  saucepan 
with  a  piece  of  butter,  a  bunch  of  parsley  chop- 
ped very  fine  together  with  a  clove  of  garlic.  Add 
a  cup  of  hot  broth ;  salt  moderately  and  let  it  cook 
without  boiling,  until  the  sauce  is  reduced  to 
about  one  third. 

One  tablespoonful  of  vinegar  adds  a  pleasant 
taste  to  this  dish. 

107 


152 
BROILED  MUTTON  KIDNEY 

(Rognone  di  montone  alia  graticola) 

After  washing  the  kidneys,  remove  the  filmy 
skin  that  covers  them  and  cut  them  in  the  middle 
without,  however,  detaching  campletely  the  two 
parts.  Season  with  salt  and  pepper,  grease  with 
oil  and  put  them  on  a  strong  fire  on  the  grill.  After 
ten  or  twelve  minutes  they  will  be  broiled.  Serve 
hot  with  parsley  and  slices  of  lemon. 

153 

MUTTON  KIDNEY  FRIED 
(Granelli  di  montone  fritti) 
Wash,  remove  the  skin  that  covers  the  kidneys 
and  cut  in  very  thin  slices.  Wipe  with  a  cloth,  dip 
first  in  ground  bread  crumbs,  then  in  a  beaten  egg 
mixed  with  melted  butter,  then  again  in  the  bread 
crumbs.  This  must  be  done  rapidly,  at  the  time 
of  frying,  otherwise  the  bread  crumbs  absorb  the 
moisture  of  the  kidney  and  make  them  too  hard. 
Melt  a  piece  of  butter  in  a  saucepan  on  a  strong 
fire  and  when  it  begins  to  brown,  dip  the  slices 
of  kidney.    Turn  often,  sprinkle  with  a  little  par- 
sley chopped  fine,  salt  and  serve  with  lemon. 

154 
BEEF  TONGUE  BOILED 

(Lingua  di  bue  lessa) 

The  tongue  is  boiled  like  the  beef.  When  half 
cooked  remove  the  skin,  which  is  not  nice  to  see 

108 


and  has  no  nutrituous  elements,  although  it  is 
is  served  with  a  puree  of  peas,  or  spinach  or  po- 
tatoes or  beans,  etc.  But  it  can  be  served  simply 
with  sprigs  of  parsley. 

155 
BEEF  TONGUE  WITH  OLIVES 

(Lingua  di  hue  alle  olive) 
Scald  the  tongue  and  peel  off  the  skin.  Then 
put  it  back  to  boil  until  fully  cooked. 

Melt  a  piece  of  butter  and  brown  half  a  me- 
dium sized  onion  cut  in  slices.  When  the  onion 
is  browned  remove  it  from  the  butter  and  dilute 
in  the  latter  a  teaspoonful  of  flour.  When  the 
flour  begins  to  brown,  thin  it  with  one  or  two 
cups  of  soup  stock  hot  and  passed  through  a  sie- 
ve. Mix  and  boil  for  ten  minutes,  seasoning  with 
salt  and  pepper. 

When  the  sauce  is  prepared  place  the  tongue 
in  the  saucepan  containing  it  and  let  it  cook  again 
on  a  low  fire  for  about  an  hour,  turning  it  over 
frequently  and  keeping  it  moistened  with  the 
gravy.  Cut  some  olives  in  a  spiral  to  remove  the 
stone  and  place  it  in  the  saucepan  with  the  ton- 
gue. This  becomes  more  tasty  if  left  with  the  oli- 
ves for  one  or  two  days. 

156 

STEWED  BEEF  TONGUE 
(Lingua  di  bue  in  stufato) 

Clean  a  fresh  tongue  of  beef;  put  it  in  a  plate, 
109 


salt  it  generously  and  put  it  back  in  the  ice-box 
or  in  the  pantry,  until  the  following  day. 

After  twenty-four  hours,  scald  it  in  boiling 
water,  skin  and  lard  with  little  pieces  of  bacon 
and  put  it  in  a  kettle  or  a  large  saucepan  in  which 
the  seasoning  is  already  placed.  This  seasoning 
consists  of  |/2  lb  bacon  cut  in  very  thin  slices, 
j/4  lb.  butter,  one  or  two  thin  slices  of  ham  and 
two  middle  sized  onions,  sliced.  Sprinkle  the  ton- 
gue with  flour,  surround  it  with  chopped  meat 
and  place  the  saucepan  on  the  fire.  When  the 
tongue  begins  to  brown,  pour  five  or  six  cups  of 
soup  stock  and  one  cup  of  water.  Add  the  usual 
bunch  of  greens,  two  or  three  cloves,  salt,  a  pinch 
of  pepper  and  one  of  cinnamon. 

Cover  the  saucepan  tightly,  boil  for  about  four 
hours,  rub  the  sauce  through  a  sieve  and  serve 
everything  hot. 

157 

VEAL  SWEETBREADS 
(Animelle  di  vitello) 

Keep  in  fresh  water  for  an  hour.  Then  place 
them  in  a  skimmer  (ladle  with  holes)  and  dip  in 
boiling  water  or  broth.  After  a  brief  boiling  re- 
move and  cool  in  cold  water.  Then  remove  the 
veins  and  gullet,  taking  care  not  to  tear  them. 
The  sweetbreads  are  prepared  in  various  ways 
and  here  we  give  some  of  the  best  known : 

Sweetbreads  with  butter.  —  Boil  in  broth  or 
110 


water,  clean  and  cut  into  slices.  Brown  a  piece 
of  butter  with  salt  and  pepper.  Then  place  the 
sliced  sweetbreads  and  brown  them.  Before  serv- 
ing squeeze  on  a  little  lemon  juice.  The  sweet- 
breads prepared  in  this  way  are  served  preferably 
with  rice  or  vegetables. 

Sweetbreads  with  white  sauce.  —  Boiled, 
cleaned  and  cut  into  slices,  they  are  placed  in 
white  sauce  or  balsamella  (No.  54)  adding  a 
taste  of  nutmeg,  pepper,  salt  and  the  juice  of  half 
a  lemon. 

Sweetbreads  in  fricassee. — Boil,  trim  and  cut 
into  pieces.  Then  brown  in  butter  with  a  scallion 
chopped  fine.  Once  browned,  remove  from  the 
gravy  in  which  pour  a  tablespoonful  of  flour, 
moistened  with  broth.  The  sauce  that  results  is 
bound  with  egg-yolks  and  lemon  juice. 

Sweetbreads  fried. — Boil  and  trim.  Then  cut 
in  large  slices,  neither  too  thick  nor  too  thin.  Dip 
in  beaten  egg  and  in  bread  crumbs  ground.  Then 
fry  in  butter.  Serve  with  vegetables. 

158 

TENDERLOIN  WITH  SPICES 
(Filetto  alia  piemontese) 

Clean  and  trim  the  meat,  removing  all  the  little 
skins.  Then  sprinkle  with  nutmeg,  cinnamon, 
salt,  and  pepper,  and  place  in  an  earthen  vase 
covered,  together  with  a  bunch  of  aromatic  herbs, 
sage,  parsley,  rosemary,  onion,  carrot  and  celery, 
all  chopped  fine.  After  a  few  hours  melt  and 

111 


brown  a  piece  of  butter  with  the  aromatic  herbs, 
then  remove  the  latter  and  place  the  tenderloin, 
leaving  it  to  simmer  for  half  an  hour,  pricking  it 
often  with  a  large  fork  or  a  larding  pin,  to  add 
its  juice  to  the  gravy.  Serve  hot. 

159 
STUFFED  ONIONS 

(Cipolle  ripiene) 

Boil  six  large  onions  for  an  hour.  Then  drain 
and  skin.  Remove  the  heart  with  the  point  of  a 
knife.  In  the  place  of  the  heart  place  the  stuffing 
made  with  J/4  lb.  of  ham  or  tongue,  chopped  and 
mixed  with  bread  crumbs  ground,  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  milk,  two  pinches  of  salt  and  one  of 
pepper.  When  the  onions  are  prepared  and  stuf- 
fed place  them  in  a  saucepan  whose  bottom  has 
been  greased  with  butter,  sprinkle  with  bread 
crumbs  ground  and  place  in  the  oven,  not  too 
hot.  At  the  time  of  serving  add  some  white  sauce 
or  balsamella  (No  54).  Stuffed  onions  are  served 
as  vegetables,  or  side-dish  with  roast-beef  or 
boiled-beef. 

160 

STEWED  ONIONS 
(Cipolle  in  stufato) 

Keep  in  cold  water,  for  half  an  hour,  two 
pounds  of  middle-sized  onions.  Afterward  skin 
and  place  in  a  saucepan  in  which  pour  as  much 
broth  as  is  necessary  to  cover  them.  Let  them 

112 


cook  on  a  low  fire  for  an  hour,  if  they  are  seal- 
lions,  or  young  onions.  If  they  are  not,  two  hours 
are  not  enough,  sometimes. 

When  cooked  and  soft,  drain  and  place  in  a 
large  deep  dish.  Brown  a  piece  of  butter  with  a 
tablespoonful  of  flour,  a  cup  of  broth,  salt  and 
pepper.  Mix  everything  and  when  it  begins  to 
boil  pour  the  sauce  on  the  onions,  which  must  be 
served  hot. 

161 
VEAL  LIVER 

(Fegato  di  vitella  alia  veneziana) 

Brown  a  large  onion  cut  in  thin  slices  in  oil 
and  place  in  the  saucepan  the  liver  cut  in  thin 
slices.  Brown  everything  on  a  strong  fire.  When 
the  liver  takes  a  reddish  color  it  is  ready.  If  it  is 
overdone,  it  becomes  too  hard.  Salt  just  before 
removing  from  the  saucepan. 

162 

FRIED  LIVER 
(Fegato  al  tegame) 

Clean  and  trim  the  liver,  then  cut  in  slices  half 
an  inch  thick.  Dip  in  flour  and  place,  without 
delay  in  a  saucepan  in  which  a  small  onion  has 
been  browned  in  butter.  Salt  just  before  serving. 

163 
POLENTA  WITH  SAUSAGES 

(Polenta  colic  salsicce) 

The  polenta  is  a  very  popular  dish  in  Northern 
113 


Italy  and  can  be  prepared  in  various  ways.  Al- 
ways, however,  it  is  better  to  serve  with  the  addi- 
tion of  sausages,  or  with  birds  or  tomato  paste. 

The  polenta  is  practically  corn-meal  and  it  is 
made  with  the  so-called  farina  gialla  or  yellow 
flour. 

The  ingredients  for  a  good  polenta  are  one 
pound  of  corn  meal,  preferably  granulous,  one 
quart  and  a  half  of  water,  salted  in  proportion, 
one  piece  of  butter,  one  cup  and  a  half  of  milk. 

Pour  the  meal  little  by  little  into  boiling  water, 
continually  stirring  with  a  wooden  spoon.  When 
the  meal  is  half  cooked,  put  the  butter  and  pour 
the  milk  little  by  little.  While  the  polenta  boils, 
place  on  the  fire  in  a  little  saucepan  a  tablespoon- 
ful  of  olive  oil  or  a  small  piece  of  butter.  When 
the  oil  is  hot  or  the  butter  is  melted,  put  some 
sausages  repeatedly  pricked  with  a  fork. 

When  the  sausages  are  cooked,  pour  the  po- 
lenta hot  in  a  dish  and  place  the  sausages  and 
the  gravy  in  a  cavity  practised  in  the  middle. 
Serve  hot. 

In  cooking    the    sausages  two  or  three  bay- 
leaves  may  be  added  and  removed  before  serving. 

164 
SAUSAGES  WITH  ONIONS 

(Salsicce  alia  cipollata) 

The  salsicce  alia  cipollata  are  prepared  with 
fresh  and  lean  pork  meat  and  bacon  in  equal 
quantity,  chopped  fine  and  seasoned  with  salt, 

114 


pepper  and  spices.  Add  a  proportional  quantity 
of  onions  chopped  very  fine,  not  too  much,  how- 
ever. Fill  with  the  hash  the  prepared  entrails, 
tie  every  two  inches  to  divide  the  sausages. 

CELERY 

(Sedano) 

Beside  being  used  as  a  condiment  with  a  great 
quantity  of  dishes,  the  celery  may  be  prepared 
in  various  different  ways  to  form  appetizing  ve- 
getable dishes.  We  give  here  a  certain  number  of 
those  that  appear  most  commonly  on  Italian 
tables: 

165 

CELERY  WITH  BUTTER 
(Sedano  al  burro) 

Two  heads  of  celery  for  each  pergon. 

Clean  and  trim,  removing  the  sprigs  that  are 
too  hard,  and  the  leaves,  that  are  to  be  cut  where 
they  begin  to  be  green.  Finally  trim  the  stem. 
Then  wash  repeatedly  in  running  water,  drain 
and  put  to  boil  in  salted  boiling  water.  Remove 
when  cooked  and  drain  again. 

About  three  quarters  of  an  hour  before  serv- 
ing, melt  a  piece  of  butter  in  a  saucepan  and 
brown  the  celery,  turning  them  often  for  about 
ten  minutes.  After  that  pour  over  hot  stock 
(soup  stock  or  chicken  broth)  cover  the  saucepan 
and  parboil.  A  few  moments  before  serving  sea- 
son with  brown  stock,  if  you  have  any  at  hand, 
otherwise  with  salt  and  pepper  only. 

115 


166 
CELERY  AU  JUS 

(Sedano  al  sugo) 

Select  nine  or  ten  heads,  neither  too  hard  nor 
too  soft,  and  cut  them  about  four  inches  from 
the  root.  Remove  the  green  and  hard  branches 
and  trim  the  root,  cutting  the  latter  to  a  point. 
Scald  the  celery,  after  washing  well,  in  salted 
boiling  water.  Ten  minutes  will  be  sufficient.  Dip 
in  cold  water,  open  well -the  leaves  and  wash 
again  carefully.  Drain  and  make  bunches  of  two 
or  three  heads  each  that  you  will  put  in  a  sauce- 
pan with  a  pint  of  broth  or  water  and  half  a  cup 
of  good  fat,  onion  and  carrot  chopped,  salt  and 
pepper.  Cover  and  let  it  simmer  for  about  two 
hour.  Then  remove  the  celery,  drain  and  serve. 

167 

SAUCE  FOR  CELERY  AU  JUS 
(Salsa  per  sedani  al  sugo) 

The  celery,  prepared  as  above,  are  seasoned 
with  the  following  sauce:  Make  a  roux  melting 
a  piece  of  butter  and  browning  an  equal  weight 
of  flour;  stir  for  about  three  minutes  on  the  fire, 
after  which  thin  the  roux  with  a  little  brown 
stock  or  with  bouillon  cubes  diluted  in  water. 
Continue  stirring  and  reduce  the  sauce.  Then  rub 
through  a  sieve,  pour  over  the  celery  and  serve 
very  hot. 

116 


168 

FRIED  CELERY 
(Sedani  fritti) 

This  is  a  convenient  way  to  prepare  left-over 
celery  that  is  still  too  good  to  be  thrown  away. 

Clean  the  left-over  celery  removing  as  best 
you  can  the  sauce  in  which  they  were  served,  dip 
in  frying  paste  (flour  and  egg)  fry  and  serve  with 
lemon. 

169 

PUREE  OF  CELERY 
(Macco  di  sedani) 

Take  some  big  roots  of  celery,  prepare  as 
usual  and  wash  in  running  water.  Boil  in  salted 
water,  crush  and  rub  through  a  sieve.  Put  in  a 
saucepan  this  puree,  with  a  piece  of  butter,  salt, 
flour  and  a  little  cream  or  milk.  The  milk  may  be 
substituted  with  good  soup  stock  or  brown  stock. 
Just  before  serving  add  a  little  powdered  sugar. 

170 

STEW 

(Stufato) 

The  Italian  stufato  is  somewhat  different  from 
the  stewed  meat  that  is  known  under  the  name 
of  "Irish  stew".  It  corresponds  to  the  French 
daube  and  is  prepared  in  Italy  in  many  different 
ways. 

An  excellent  stufato  can  be  made  in  the  fol- 
lowing way:  Chop  fine  two  bunches  of  parsley, 

117 


a  small  carrot,  half  a  medium  sized  onion,  a  little 
piece  of  seallion  and  two  bay-leaves.  Brown  with 
a  good  piece  of  butter  in  a  saucepan  in  which  one 
and  a  half  tablespoonful  of  oil  have  been  pre- 
viously poured. 

The  meat  must  have  been  prepared  before- 
hand, that  is  to  say  washed,  trimmed  and  larded. 
When  half  cooked,  season  moderately  with  salt 
and  pepper.  If  necessary,  moisten  with  broth  or 
water.  During  the  cooking  the  saucepan  must  be 
covered  with  its  cover  and  with  a  sheet  of  paper 
greased  with  fat  or  oil.  The  stufato  will  be  ready 
after  about  three  hours'  cooking  on  a  low  fire. 

171 

SOUTHERN  STEW 
(Stufato  Meridionale) 

Put  the  piece  of  meat  in  a  saucepan  of  such  a 
size  that  it  remains  completely  filled,  moisten 
with  two  cups  of  water  and  two  of  white  wine, 
season  with  salt  and  pepper  and  cook  for  five 
hours  on  a  low  fire. 

172 

STEW  MILANAISE 
(Stufato  alia  milanese) 

Beat  and  flatten  a  good  piece  of  meat  and  lard 
with  bacon  or  ham  cut  in  small  pieces.  Season 
with  salt,  pepper  and  a  taste  of  cinnamon.  Sprin- 
kle flour  over  the  meat. 

Place  in  a  saucepan  a  little  fat  of  beef  chopped 

118 


with  a  middle  sized  onion  and  brown  with  a  piece 
of  butter.  When  the  onion  is  browned,  remove  it 
and  place  the  meat  over  the  melted  butter.  Brown 
with  melted  butter.  Then  fill  the  saucepan  with 
half  water,  half  red  wine,  but  only  when  the 
meat  is  browned  from  all  sides.  Cover  the  sauce- 
pan the  best  you  can,  with  cover  and  greased  pa- 
per and  let  it  simmer  for  five  or  six  hours  on  a 
very  low  fire. 

After  removing  the  stew,  let  it  cool,  rub  the 
gravy  through  a  sieve,  put  again  on  the  fire  and 
serve  hot. 

173 

FRENCH  STEW 
(Stufato  alia  francese) 

Prepare  on  the  bottom  of  the  saucepan  a  layer 
of  thin  slices  of  ham,  on  which  place  several  little 
cubes  also  of  bacon.  In  the  middle  place  a  bunch 
of  parsley,  and  around  this  some  cloves,  half  an 
onion  sliced,  a  few  carrots  in  little  cubes  several 
young  onions,  bay-leaf,  salt,  and  pepper. 

On  this  bed  lay  the  meat  that  may  be  larded 
with  bacon  or  ham  and  seasoned  with  salt,  pepper 
and  a  taste  of  cinnamon.  Pour  on  the  meat  two 
cups  of  soup  stock  or  water  and  one  cup  of  white 
wine.  Cover  the  saucepan  hermetically  and  cook 
on  a  very  low  fire  for  five  hours. 

When  the  stufato  is  to  be  served  cold,  the 
119 


gravy  is  to  be  rubbed  through  a  sieve  before  it 

gets  cold. 

Note. —  In  these  and  similar  dishes  we  have  in- 
dicated the  use  of  wine,  which  is  a  common 
ingredient,  in  small  quantities  in  Italian  and 
French  cooking.  This,  however,  can  always 
be  dispensed  with  if  its  taste  is  not  appre- 
ciated, or  for  any  other  reason. 

174 

TROUT  ALPINE 
(Trota  all'alpigiana) 

These  are  many  ways  to  prepare  this  delicious 
fish,  found  in  abundance  in  the  many  streams  of 
clear  water  that  run  from  the  Alps  and  the  A- 
pennine  mountains.  Often  the  trout  is  cooked  in 
wine,  but,  of  course,  this  part  many  be  changed. 

For  the  trota  all'alpigiana,  so  called  because  it 
is  the  favorite  dish  of  Piedmont,  the  trout  must  be 
cleaned,  scaled,  washed,  wiped  then  salted  and 
left  under  the  action  of  the  salt  for  about  an  hour. 

Pour  in  a  fish-kettle  one  quart  of  white  wine 
to  which  will  be  added  three  medium  sized  onions 
a  few  cloves,  two  sections  of  garlic  and  a  little 
bunch  made  of  thyme,  bay-leaf,  basil  or  mint ;  fin- 
ally a  piece  of  butter  as  large  as  an  egg,  dipped 
in  flour.  Then  put  the  trout  in  the  fish-kettle  and 
place  on  a  strong  fire.  When  the  liquid  has  boiled 
the  trout  is  cooked.  Remove  the  onions  and  the 
bunch  of  greens  and  serve  the  trout  with  its  gravy 
and  some  parsley. 

120 


175 

TROUT  LOMBARD 
(Trota  fritta) 

Clean,  scale,  wash  and  wipe  the  trout.  Salt  and 
leave  for  half  an  hour.  Fill  with  water  half  a  fish- 
kettle;  add  half  a  lemon,  two  bay-leaves,  one 
carrot  light  or  ten  berries  of  pepper,  one  onion 
divided  into  four  parts,  salt  and  three  cloves. 
When  the  water  is  lukewarm,  dip  in  the  trout. 
Cook  on  a  moderate  fire  and  serve  the  trout  with 
parsley,  slices  of  lemon  and  young  potatoes 
boiled.  A  good  fish-sauce  ought  to  accompany  it. 

176 

FRIED  TROUT 
(Trota  fritta) 

Small  and  young  trouts  are  best  for  frying. 
Scale,  clean,  wash  and  wipe.  Then  dip  in  flour 
and  fry  like  the  other  fish  in  oil  or  in  butter.  Serve 
with  browned  parsley  and  lemon. 

177 
TROUT  WITH  ANCHOVIES 

(Trota  alle  acciughe) 

Scale,  clean  wash  and  wipe  the  trouts.  Cut  the 
sides  and  place  to  pickle  with  salt,  pepper  berries, 
garlic,  parsley  and  onions  chopped  fine;  with 
mushrooms  chopped  fine  with  thyme,  bay-leaf 
and  mint,  all  seasoned  with  good  olive  oil.  Rub 
the  pickled  pieces  at  the  sieve  and  place  it  and  the 

121 


trout  in  a  baking-tin.  Bake  in  the  oven  and  serve 
with  anchovy  sauce  (No.  17). 

178 
EGGS  WITH  ONION  SAUCE 

(Uova  trippate) 

Prepare  some  hard  boiled  eggs,  shell  and  cut 
into  disks  one  third  of  an  inch  thick. 

Melt  in  a  saucepan  a  piece  of  butter  in  which 
brown  half  an  onion  cut  into  thin  slices,  to 
be  removed  from  the  butter  when  browned. 
Then  add  to  the  butter  two  teaspoonfuls  of  flour, 
mix  but  don't  allow  to  brown,  thin  with  a  cup  of 
hot  broth,  add  salt  and  pepper  and  let  simmer  for 
ten  minutes.  Put  the  sliced  eggs  in  the  sauce  to 
warm  them,  stir  a  little,  but  carefully  to  avoid 
breaking  them,  and  do  not  boil  again.  Just  before 
serving  add  to  the  sauce  a  teaspoonful  of  cream 
and  stir  carefully. 

179 
EGGS  WITH  HAM 

(Uova  al  prosciutto) 

Place  in  a  frying  pan  as  many  pieces  of  butter, 
large  like  a  nut,  as  there  are  eggs  to  be  cooked. 
For  each  piece  of  butter  put  a  little  slice  of  ham 
and  place  the  frying  pan  on  the  fire.  As  soon  as 
the  butter  is  melted  break  an  egg  on  each  slice  of 
ham.  Let  cook  for  ten  minutes  on  a  moderate  fire. 

122 


(Uova  al  pomidoro) 

Prepare  some  hard  boiled  eggs,  cut  them 
through  the  middle  lengthwise,  place  in  good  or- 
der upon  a  plate  and  pour  some  good  tomato 
sauce,  taking  care  not  to  cover  the  upper  part  of 
the  eggs,  which  must  emerge  from  the  sauce. 

Instead  of  the  tomato,  the  eggs  may  be  arran- 
ged with  a  balsamella  sauce  (No.  54). 

181 
SCRAMBLED  EGGS 

(Uova  strapazzate) 

Break  the  eggs  in  a  plate,  assuring  first  that 
they  are  all  fresh. 

Melt  in  a  saucepan  a  piece  of  butter  about  as 
big  as  an  egg.  When  it  is  melted  pour  the  egg  and 
scramble  them  with  a  fork  on  a  low  fire. 

When  the  eggs  are  cooked  season  moderately 
with  salt  and  butter.  Just  when  you  take  them 
away  from  the  fire  and  before  serving  add  a  taj 
blespoonful  of  milk  or  liquid  cream.  Serve  hot 
with  a  little  grated  cheese. 

The  scrambled  eggs  can  be  served  with  points 
of  asparagus,  truffles,  mushrooms,  etc.  which  are 
prepared  just  as  if  they  were  to  go  in  an  omelet. 


123 


PART  II 

PASTRY,  SWEETS,  FROZEN  DELICACIES, 
SYRUPS 


182 

PUDDING  OF  HAZELNUTS 
(Budino  di  nocciuole) 

Shell  half  a  pound  of  hazelnuts  in  warm  water 
and  dry  them  well  at  the  sun  or  on  the  fire,  then 
grind  them  very  fine,  together  with  sugar,  of  a 
weight  somewhat  less  than  the  nuts.  Put  one 
quart  of  milk  on  the  fire,  and  when  it  begins  to 
boil,  put  two  third  Ib.  lady  fingers  or  macaroons 
crumbed  and  let  it  boil  for  five  minutes,  adding 
a  small  piece  of  butter.  Rub  everything  through 
a  sieve  and  put  back  on  the  fire  with  the  nuts  to 
dissolve  the  sugar.  Let  it  cool  and  add  six  eggs, 
first  the  yolks,  then  the  white  beaten,  pour  in  a 
mold  greased  with  butter  and  sprinkled  with 
bread  crumbs  ground  fine.  The  mold  must  not 
be  all  full.  Bake  in  the  oven  and  serve  cold. 

This  dose  will  be  sufficient  for  eight  or  ten 
persons. 

183 

CRISP  BISCUITS 
(Biscotti  croccanti) 

One  pound  of  flour. 
Half  a  pound  granulated  sugar. 
'/4  Ib.  sweet  almonds,  whole  and  shelled,  mixed 
to  a  few  pine-seeds. 
124 


A  piece  of  butter,  one  and  a  half  ounce. 

A  pinch  of  anise-seeds. 

Five  eggs. 

A  pinch  of  salt. 

Leave  back  the  almonds  and  pine-seeds  to  add 
them  afterward,  and  mix  everything  with  four 
eggs,  so  as  to  use  the  fifth  if  it  is  necessary  to 
make  a  soft  dough.  Divide  into  four  cakes  half 
an  inch  thick  and  as  large  as  a  hand,  place  them 
in  a  receptacle  greased  with  butter  and  sprinkled 
with  flour.  Glaze  the  cakes  with  yolk  of  eggs. 
Bake  in  the  oven,  but  only  as  much  as  will  still 
permit  cutting  the  cakes  into  slices,  which  you 
will  do  the  day  after,  as  the  crust  will  then  be 
softened.  Put  the  slices  back  in  the  oven  ,so  that 
they  will  be  toasted  on  both  sides  and  you  will 
have  the  crisp  biscuits. 

184 

SOFT  BISCUITS 
(Biscotti  teneri) 

For  these  biscuits  it  would  be  necessary  to  have 
a  tin  box  about  four  inches  wide  and  a  little  less 
long  than  the  oven  used.  In  this  way  the  biscuits 
will  have  a  corner  on  both  sides  and,  if  cut  a  little 
more  than  half  an  inch,  they  will  be  of  the  right 
proportion.  The  ingredients  needed  are: 

Flour,  about  two  ounces. 

Potato  meal,  a  little  less. 

Sugar,  four  ounces  (]/4  Ib.) 

125 


Sweet  almonds  1  Yl  ounce. 

Candied  orange  or  angelica,  one  ounce. 

Fruit  preserve,  one  ounce, 

Three  eggs. 

Skin  the  almonds,  cut  them  in  half  lengthwise 
and  dry  in  the  sun  or  at  the  fire.  Pastry  cooks 
usually  leave  them  with  the  skin  but  it  is  much 
preferable  to  skin  them.  Cut  in  little  cubes  the 
candied  fruits  and  the  preserve. 

Stir  for  a  long  while,  about  half  an  hour  the 
sugar  in  the  egg-yolks  and  a  little  flour  then  add 
the  white  of  the  eggs  well  beaten  and  when  every 
thing  is  well  beaten  add  the  flour,  letting  it  fall 
from  a  sieve.  Mix  slowly  and  scatter  on  the  mix- 
ing the  almonds  and  the  cubes  of  candied  and 
preserved  fruit.  Grease  and  sprinkle  the  tin  box 
with  flour.  Bake  in  the  oven  and  cut  the  biscuits 
the  day  after.  If  desired  these  can  also  be  roasted 
on  both  sides. 

185 

BISCUITS  SULTAN 
(Biscotto  alia  sultana) 

Granulated  sugar,  six  ounces. 
Flour,  four  ounces. 
Potato  meal,  two  ounces. 
Currants,  three  ounces. 
Candied  fruits,  one  ounce. 
Five  eggs. 

A  taste  of  lemon  peel. 
Two  tablespoonfuls  of  brandy. 
126 


Put  first  on  the  fire  the  currants  and  the  can- 
died fruits  cut  in  very  little  cubes  with  as  much 
brandy  or  cognac  as  is  necessary  to  cover  them: 
when  it  boils,  light  the  brandy  and  let  it  burn 
out  of  the  fire  until  the  liquor  is  all  consumed: 
then  remove  the  currants  and  candy  and  let  them 
dry  in  a  folded  napkin.  Then  stir  for  half  an  hour 
the  sugar  with  the  egg-yolks  and  the  taste  of  le- 
mon peel.  Beat  well  the  white  of  the  eggs  and 
pour  them  on  the  sugar  and  yolks.  Add  the  flour 
and  potato  meal  letting  them  fall  from  a  sieve 
and  stir  slowly  until  everything  is  well  mixed 
together.  Add  the  currants  and  the  pieces  of 
candied  fruits  and  pour  the  mixing  in  a  smooth 
mold  or  in  a  high  and  round  cake-dish.  Grease  the 
mold  or  the  dish  with  butter  and  sprinkle  with 
powdered  sugar  or  flour.  Put  at  once  in  the  oven 
to  avoid  that  the  currants  and  the  candied  fruits 
fall  in  the  oven. 

186 

MARGHERITA  CAKE 

(Pasta  Margherita) 

Potato  meal,  three  ounces. 

Sugar,  six  ounces. 

Four  eggs. 

Lemon  juice. 

Beat  well  the  egg-yolks  with  the  sugar,  add 
the  potato  meal  and  the  lemon  juice  and  stir 
everything  for  half  an  hour.  Finally  beat  well 

127 


the  whites,  and  mix  the  rest,  stirring  continually 
but  slowly.  Pour  the  mixture  in  a  smooth  and 
round  mold,  greased  with  butter  and  sprinkled 
with  powdered  sugar.  Put  at  once  in  the  oven. 

Remove  from  the  mold  when  cold  and  dust 
with  powdered  sugar  and  vanilla. 

187 

MANTUA  TART 
(Tort a  Mantovana) 

Flour,  six  ounces. 

Sugar,  six  ounces. 

Butter,  five  ounces. 

Sweet  almonds  and  pine-seeds,  two  ounces. 

One  whole  egg. 

Four  egg-yolks. 

A  taste  of  lemon  peel. 

First  work  well  with  a  ladle  the  eggs  with  the 
sugar,  then  pour  the  flour  little  by  little,  still  stirr- 
ing, and  finally  the  butter,  previously  melted  in 
a  double  steamer  (bain-marie).  Put  the  mixture 
in  a  pie-dish  greased  with  butter  and  sprinkled 
with  flour  or  bread  crumbs  ground.  On  top  put 
the  almonds  and  the  pine-seeds.  Cut  the  latter  in 
half  and  cut  the  almonds,  previously  skinned  in 
warm  water,  each  in  eight  or  ten  pieces.  This  tart 
must  not  be  thicker  than  one  inch,  so  that  it  can 
dry  well  in  the  oven,  which  must  not  be  too  hot. 

Sprinkle  with  powdered  sugar  and  serve  cold. 


128 


188 
CURLY  TART 

(Torta  ricciolina) 

Sweet  almonds  with  a  few  bitter  ones,  four 
ounces, 

Granulated  sugar,  six  ounces, 

Candied  fruits  or  angelica,  2J/2  ounces, 

Butter,  two  ounces, 

Lemon  peel. 

Mix  two  eggs  with  flour,  flatten  the  paste  to  a 
thin  sheet  on  a  bread  board  and  cut  into  thin 
noodles.  In  a  corner  of  the  bread  board  make  a 
heap  of  the  almonds  with  the  sugar,  the  candied 
fruit  cut  in  pieces  and  the  grated  lemon  peel.  All 
this  cut  and  crush  so  as  to  reduce  the  mixture  in 
little  pieces.  Then  take  a  pie-dish  and  without 
greasing  it,  spread  a  layer  of  noodles  on  the  bot- 
tom, then  pour  part  of  the  mixture,  then  another 
layer  of  noodles  and  continue  until  there  remains 
no  more  material,  trying  to  have  the  tart  at  least 
one  inch  thick.  When  it  is  so  prepared  cover  with 
the  melted  butter,  using  a  brush  to  apply  it  even- 

ly- 

189 

ALMOND  CAKE 
(Bocca  di  dama) 

Granulated  sugar,  nine  ounces, 
Very  fine  Hungarian  flour,  five  ounces, 
129 


Sweet  almonds  with  some  bitter  ones,  two 
ounces, 

Six  whole  eggs  and  three  egg  yolks, 

Taste  of  lemon  peel. 

After  skinning  the  almonds  in  warm  water  and 
drying  them  well,  grind  or  better  pound  them  well 
together  with  a  tablespoonful  of  sugar  and  mix 
well  with  the  flour.  Put  the  rest  of  the  sugar  in 
a  deep  dish  with  the  egg  yolks  and  the  grated  le- 
mon peel  (just  a  taste)  and  stir  with  a  ladle  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  In  another  dish  beat  the 
six  whites  of  egg  and  when  they  have  become 
quite  thick  mix  them  with  other  ingredients  stir- 
ring slowly  everything  together. 

To  bake  place  the  mixture  in  a  baking-tin  grea- 
sed evenly  with  butter  and  sprinkled  with  pow- 
dered sugar  and  flour. 

190 

CORN  MEAL  CAKES 
(Pasta  di  farina  gialla) 

Corn  meal,  seven  and  a  half  ounces, 
Wheat  flour,  five  and  a  half  ounces, 
Granulated  sugar,  five  and  a  half  ounces, 
Butter,  three  and  a  half  ounces, 
Lard,  two  ounces, 
A  pinch  of  anise  seed, 
One  egg. 

Mix  together  the  corn  meal,  the  flour  and  the 
anis  seed  and  knead  with  the  butter,  the  lard  and 

130 


the  egg  that  quantity  that  you  can,  forming  a 
loaf  that  you  will  put  aside.  What  remains  is  to 
be  kneaded  with  water  forming  another  loaf. 
Then  mix  the  two  loaves  and  knead  a  little,  not 
much  because  the  dough  must  remain  soft.  Flat- 
ten with  the  rolling  pin  until  it  becomes  one  quar- 
ter of  an  inch  thick,  sprinkle  with  flour,  and  cut 
in  different  sizes  and  shapes  with  thin  stamps. 

Grease  a  baking  tin  with  lard,  sprinkle,  with 
flour,  glaze  with  the  egg,  bake  and  dust  with 
powdered  sugar. 

191 

BISCUIT 
(Biscotto) 

Six  eggs, 

Granulated  sugar,  nine  ounces, 

Flour,  four  ounces, 

Potato  meal,  two  ounces, 

Taste  of  lemon  peel. 

Stir  for  at  least  half  an  hour  the  yolks  of  the 
eggs  with  the  sugar  and  a  tablespoonful  only  of 
the  flour  and  meal,  using  a  ladle.  Beat  the  whites 
of  the  eggs  until  they  are  quite  firm,  mix  slowly 
with  the  first  mixture  and  when  they  are  well  in- 
corporated pour  over  from  a  sieve  the  flour  and 
the  potato  meal,  previously  dried  in  the  sun  or 
on  the  fire. 

Bake  in  a  tin  where  the  mixture  comes  about 
one  inch  and  a  half  thick,  previously  greasing  the 

131 


tin  with  cold  butter  and  sprinkle  with  powdered 
sugar  mixed  with  flour. 

In  these  cakes  with  beaten  whites  the  following 
method  can  also  be  followed:  mix  and  stir  first 
the  yolks  with  the  sugar,  then  put  the  flour  then, 
after  a  good  kneading,  beat  the  whites  until  they 
are  firm,  pour  two  tablespoonfuls  to  soften  the 
mixture,  then  the  rest  little  by  little. 

192 
CAKE  MADELEINE 

(Pasta  Maddalena) 

Sugar,  four  and  a  half  ounces, 

Flour,  three  ounces, 

Butter,  one  ounce, 

Egg-yolks,  four, 

Whites  of  eggs,  three, 

A  pinch  of  bi-carbonate  of  soda, 

A  taste  of  lemon  peel. 

First  mix  and  stir  the  yolks  with  the  sugar  and 
when  they  have  become  whitish,  add  the  flour 
and  stir  for  fifteen  minutes  more.  Mix  with  the 
butter,  melting  or  softening  it  fine  if  it  is  hard  and 
finally  add  the  whites  when  they  are  well  beaten. 
The  flour  must  be  previously  dried  in  the  aun  or 
on  the  fire. 

This  cake  may  be  given  different  shapes,  but 
keep  it  always  thin  and  in  little  volume.  It  can  be 
put  in  little  molds  greased  with  butter  and  sprink- 
led with  flour,  or  else  in  a  baking  tin,  keeping  it 

132 


not  more  than  half  an  inch  thick,  and  cutting  it 
after  baking  in  the  shape  of  diamonds  and  dusting 
with  powdered  sugar. 

193 

ALMOND  CRISP-TART 
(Croccante) 

Sweet  almonds,  four  and  a  half  ounces. 

Granulated  sugar,  three  and  a  half  ounces. 

Skin  the  almonds,  divide  the  two  parts  and  cut 
each  part  into  small  pieces.  Put  these  almonds  so 
cut  at  the  fire  and  dry  them  until  they  take  a 
yellowish  color,  but  do  not  toast.  Meanwhile  put 
the  sugar  on  the  fire  in  a  saucepan  and,  when  it 
is  perfectly  melted,  pour  the  almonds  hot  and 
already  sligthly  browned.  Now  lower  the  fire  and 
be  careful  not  to  allow  the  compound  to  be  over- 
done. The  precise  point  is  known  when  the  mix- 
ture acquires  a  cinnamon  color.  Then  pour  little 
by  little  in  a  cold  mold,  previously  greased  with 
butter  or  oil.  Press  with  a  lemon  against  the  walls 
of  the  mold,  making  the  mixture  as  thin  as  pos- 
sible. Remove  from  the  mold  when  perfectly 
cooled  and,  if  it  is  difficult  to  do  so,  dip  the  mold 
in  boiling  water. 

The  almonds  can  also  be  dried  in  the  sun  and 
chopped  fine,  adding  a  small  piece  of  butter 
when  they  are  in  the  sugar. 


133 


194 

WAFER  BISCUITS 
(Cialdoni) 

Put  in  a  kettle: 

Flour,  three  ounces. 

Brown  sugar,  one  ounce. 

Lard  virgin,  half  an  ounce. 

Cold  water,  seven  tablespoonfuls. 

First  dilute  the  flour  and  the  sugar  in  the 
water,  then  add  the  lard. 

Put  on  the  fire  the  iron  for  waffles  or  better  an 
appropriated  iron  for  flattened  wafers.  When  it  is 
quite  hot  open  it  and  place  each  time  half  a  table- 
spoonful  of  the  paste.  Close  the  iron  and  press 
well.  Pass  over  the  fire  on  both  sides,  trim  all 
around  with  a  knife  and  open  the  iron  when  you 
see  that  the  wafer  is  browned.  Then  detach  it 
from  one  side  of  the  iron  and  hot  as  it  is  roll  it 
on  the  iron  itself  or  on  a  napkin  using  a  little 
stick.  This  operation  must  be  made  with  great 
rapidity  because  if  the  wafer  gets  cold,  it  cannot 
be  rolled. 

Should  the  wafers  remain  attached  to  the  iron, 
grease  it  from  time  to  time,  and  if  they  are  not 
firm  enough,  add  a  little  flour. 

These  wafer-biscuits  are  generally  served  with 
whipped  cream. 


134 


195 

QUINCE  CAKE 

(Cotognata) 

The  ingredients  are  about  six  pounds  of  quin- 
ces and  four  pounds  of  granulated  sugar. 

Put  on  the  fire  the  apples  covered  with  water, 
and  when  they  begin  to  crack  remove  them,  skin 
and  scrape  to  put  together  all  the  pulp.  Rub  the 
latter  through  a  sieve.  Put  back  the  pulp  on  the 
fire  with  the  sugar  and  stir  continually  in  order 
that  it  may  not  attack  to  the  bottom  of  the  kettle. 
It  will  be  enough  to  boil  for  seven  or  eight  mi- 
nutes and  remove  when  it  begins  to  form  pieces 
when  lifted  with  the  ladle. 

Now  in  order  to  prepare  the  quince-cake  spread 
it  on  a  board  to  the  thickness  of  about  a  silver 
dollar  and  dry  it  in  the  sun  covered  with  cheese 
cloth  to  keep  away  the  flies.  When  it  is  dry  cut 
it  in  the  form  of  chocolate  tablets  and  remove 
each  piece  from  the  board  passing  the  blade  of  a 
knife  underneath. 

If  it  is  wished  to  make  it  crisp,  melt  about 
three  and  a  half  pounds  of  granulated  sugar  with 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  water  and  when  the  sugar 
has  boiled  enough  to  "make  the  thread"  smear 
every  one  of  the  little  quince  cakes  with  it.  If 
the  sugar  becomes  too  hard  during  the  operation 
put  it  back  on  the  fire  with  a  little  water  and 
make  it  boil  again.  When  the  sugar  is  dry  on  one 
side  and  on  the  edge,  smear  the  other  side. 

135 


196 

PORTUGUESE  CAKE 
(Focaccia  alia  Portoghese) 

Sweet  almonds,  five  ounces. 

Granulated  sugar,  five  ounces. 

Potato  meal,  one  and  a  half  ounce. 

Three  eggs. 

One  big  orange  or  two  small. 

First  mix  the  yolks  of  the  eggs  with  the  sugar, 
then  add  the  flour,  then  the  almonds  skinned  and 
chopped  fine,  then  the  orange  juice  (through  a 
colander)  then  a  taste  of  orange  peel.  Finally  add 
to  the  mixture  the  whites  of  the  eggs  well  beaten. 
Put  in  a  paper  mold  greased  evenly  with  butter, 
with  a  thickness  of  about  an  inch  and  bake  in  a 
very  moderately  hot  oven.  After  baked,  cover 
with  a  white  glaze  or  frost,  made  with  powdered 
sugar,  lemon  juice  and  the  white  of  eggs. 

197 

MACAROONS 

(Amaretti) 

I 

Granulated  sugar,  nine  ounces. 

Sweet  almonds,  three  and  a  half  ounces. 

Bitter  almonds,  half  of  the  above  quantity. 

Whites  of  egg,  two. 

Skin  and  dry  the  almonds,  then  chop  them 
very  fine.  Mix  the  sugar  and  the  whites  of  egg 
and  stir  for  about  half  an  hour,  then  add  the  al- 

136 


monds  to  form  a  rather  hard  paste.  Of  this  make 
little  balls,  as  large  as  a  small  walnut.  If  the  paste 
is  too  soft  add  a  little  butter,  if  too  hard  add  a 
little  white  of  egg,  this  time  beaten.  Were  it 
desired  to  give  the  macaroons  a  brownish  color, 
mix  with  the  paste  a  little  burnt  sugar. 

As  you  form  the  little  ball,  that  you  will  flat- 
ten to  the  thickness  of  one  third  of  an  inch,  put 
them  over  wafers  or  on  pieces  of  paper  or  in  a 
baking  tin  greased  with  butter  and  sprinkled  with 
half  flour  and  half  powdered  sugar.  Dispose 
them  at  a  certain  distance  from  one  another  as 
they  will  enlarge  and  swell,  remaining  empty 
inside. 

Bake  in  an  oven  moderately  hot. 

II 

Powdered  sugar,  ten  and  a  half  ounces. 

Sweet  almonds,  three  ounces. 

Bitter  almonds,  one  ounce. 

Two  whites  of  egg. 

Skin  the  almonds  and  dry  them  in  the  sun  or 
on  the  fire,  then  chop  and  grind  very  fine  with 
one  white  of  egg  poured  in  various  times.  When 
this  is  done,  put  half  of  the  sugar,  stirring  and 
kneading  with  your  hand.  Then  pour  everything 
in  a  large  bowl  and,  always  mixing,  add  half  of 
the  other  white  of  egg,  then  the  other  half  of  the 
sugar  and  finally  the  other  half  of  the  white. 

In  this  way  an  homogenous  mixture  will  be 
obtained  of  the  right  firmness.  Shake  into  a  kind 

137 


of  a  stick  and  cut  it  in  rounds  all  equal,  one  third 
of  an  inch  thick.  Take  them  up  one  by  one  with 
moistened  fingers  and  make  little  balls  as  large 
as  a  walnut.  Flatten  them  to  the  thickness  of  a 
third  of  an  inch  and  for  the  rest  proceed  as  said 
above,  but  dust  with  powdered  sugar  before 
putting  in  a  hot  oven. 

With  this  dose  about  thirty  macarons  can  be 
obtained. 

198 
FARINA  CAKES 

(Pasticcini  di  semolino) 

Farina,  six  and  a  half  ounces. 

Sugar,  three  and  a  half  ounces. 

Pine-seeds,  two  ounces. 

Butter,  a  small  piece. 

Milk,  one  quart. 

Four  eggs. 

A  pinch  of  salt. 

Taste  of  lemon  peel. 

Cook  the  farina  in  the  milk  and  when  it  begins 
to  thicken  pour  the  pine-seeds,  previously  chop- 
ped fine  and  pounded  with  the  sugar,  then  the 
butter  and  the  rest,  less  the  eggs  which  must  be 
put  in  last  when  the  mixture  had  completely 
cooled.  Then  place  the  whole  well  mixed  in  little 
molds,  greased  evenly  with  butter  and  sprinkled 
with  bread  crumbs  ground  fine,  and  bake. 


X38 


199 
RICE  TART 

(Torta  di  riso) 

Milk,  one  quart. 

Rice,  seven  ounces. 

Sugar,  five  and  a  half  ounces. 

Sweet  almonds  with  four  bitter  ones,  three  and 

a  half  ounces. 

Candied  cedar  (angelica),  one  ounce. 
Three  whole  eggs. 
Five  egg-yolks. 
Taste  of  lemon  peel. 
A  pinch  of  salt. 

Skin  the  almonds  and  grind  or  pound  them 
with  two  tablespoonfuls  of  the  sugar. 

Cut  the  candied  cedar  in  very  small  cubes. 
Cook  the  rice  in  the  milk  until  it  is  quite  firm, 
put  in  all  the  ingredients  except  the  eggs,  which 
are  added  when  the  mixture  is  cold.  Put  the  entire 
mixture  in  a  baking  tin  greased  with  butter  and 
sprinkled  with  bread  crumbs  ground  fine,  harden 
in  the  oven  and  after  24  hours  cut  the  tart  into 
diamonds.  When  serving  dust  with  powdered 
sugar. 

200 

FARINA  TART 
(Torta  di  semolino) 
Milk,  one  quart. 

Farina  finely  ground,  four  and  a  half  ounces. 
Sugar,  four  and  a  half  ounces. 

139 


Sweet  almond.s  with  three  bitter,  three  and  a 
half  ounces. 

Butter,  a  small  piece. 

Four  eggs. 

Taste  of  lemon  peel. 

A  pinch  of  salt. 

Skin  the  almonds  in  warm  water  and  ground 
or  pound  very  fine  with  all  the  sugar,  to  be  mixed 
one  tablespoonful  at  a  time. 

Cook  the  farina  in  the  milk  and  before  remov- 
ing from  the  fire  add  the  butter  and  the  almonds, 
which  will  dissolve  easily,  being  mixed  with  the 
sugar.  Then  put  the  pinch  of  salt  and  wait  until 
it  becomes  lukewarm  to  add  the  eggs  that  are  to 
be  beaten  whole  previously.  Pour  the  mixture  in 
a  baking  tin  greased  evenly  with  butter,  sprink- 
led with  bread  crumbs  and  of  such  a  size  that  the 
tart  has  the  thickness  of  an  inch  or  less.  Put  it  in 
the  oven,  remove  from  the  mold  when  cold  and 
serve  whole  or  cut  into  sections. 

201 

PUDDING  OF  RICE  MEAL 
(Budino  di  farina  di  riso) 

Milk,  one  quart. 

Rice  meal,  seven  ounces. 

Sugar,  four  and  a  half  ounces. 

Six  eggs. 

A  pinch  of  salt. 

Taste  of  vanilla. 

140 


First  dissolve  the  rice  meal  in  half  a  pint  of  the 
milk  when  cold,  and  pour  it  in  the  rest  of  the 
milk  when  it  is  boiling.  This  is  done  to  prevent 
the  formation  of  lumps.  When  the  meal  is  cooked 
add  the  sugar,  the  butter  and  the  salt.  Remove 
from  the  fire  and  when  it  is  lukewarm  mix  the 
eggs  (beaten)  and  the  taste  of  vanilla.  Then  bake 
the  pudding  like  all  the  others  and  serve  warm. 

202 

BREAD  PUDDING 
(Budino  di  pane) 

Soft  bread  crumb,  five  ounces. 

Butter,  three  and  a  half  ounces. 

Four  eggs. 

Taste  of  lemon  peel. 

A  pinch  of  salt. 

Cut  the  bread  crumb  into  pieces  and  soak  in 
cold  milk.  Then  rub  though  a  sieve.  Melt  the 
butter  in  a  double  boiler  (in  a  vessel  immersed 
in  boiling  water)  and  mix  with  the  eggs  until 
butter  and  eggs  are  incorporated  to  each  other. 
Add  the  bread  crumb  and  the  sugar  and  mix 
well.  Pour  the  mixture  in  a  mold  greased  with 
butter  and  sprinkled  with  bread  crumb  ground 
fine  and  bake  like  other  puddings. 

203 

POTATO  PUDDING 
(Budino  di  patate) 

Potatoes,  big  and  mealy,  one  and  a  half  Ib. 
141 


Sugar,  five  and  a  half  ounces. 

Butter,  one  and  a  half  ounces. 

Flour,  a  tablespoonful. 

Milk,  half  a  pint. 

Six  eggs. 

A  pinch  of  salt. 

Paste  of  cinnamon  or  lemon  peel. 

Boil  or  steam  the  potatoes,  skin  and  rub 
through  a  sieve.  Place  them  back  again  on  the 
fire  with  the  butter,  the  flour  and  the  milk,  all 
poured  little  by  little,  stirring  well  with  the  ladle, 
then  add  the  sugar,  the  salt  and  the  cinnamon 
or  lemon  peel  (just  a  taste)  and  mix  everything 
together  well.  Remove  from  the  fire  and,  when 
the  mixture  is  lukewarm  or  cold  add  the  eggs, 
first  the  yolks,  then  the  whites  beaten. 

Bake  like  all  other  puddings  and  serve  hot. 

204 

LEMON    PUDDING 

(Budino  di  limone) 

One  big  lemon. 

Sugar,  six  ounces. 

Sweet  almonds  with  3  bitter  ones,  six  ounces. 

Six  eggs. 

Cook  the  lemon  in  water,  for  which  two  hours 
will  be  enough.  Remove  dry  and  rub  through  a 
sieve.  Before  rubbing,  however,  taste  it,  because 
if  it  has  a  bitter  taste  it  must  be  kept  in  cold  water 
until  it  has  lost  that  unpleasant  taste.  Add  the 

142 


sugar,  the  almonds  skinned  and  ground  very  fine 
and  the  six  yolks  of  the  eggs.  Beat  the  whites  of 
the  eggs  and  add  them  to  the  mixture  that  will 
then  be  put  in  a  mold  and  baked  like  all  other 
puddings. 

205 

PUDDING  OF  ROASTED  ALMONDS 
(Budino  di  mandorle  tostate) 

Milk,  one  quart. 

Sugar,  three  and  a  half  ounces. 

Sweet  almonds,  two  ounces. 

Lady-finger  biscuits,  two  ounces. 

Three  eggs. 

First  prepare  the  almonds,  that  is  to  say  skin 
them  in  warm  water  and  toast  them  on  the  fire 
over  a  plate  of  iron  or  a  stone,  then  grind  very 
fine.  Boil  the  sugar  and  the  lady-fingers,  broken 
in  little  pieces  in  the  milk,  mixing  well.  After 
half  an  hour  of  boiling,  keeping  always  stirred, 
rub  the  mixture  through  a  sieve.  Then  add  the 
toasted  and  ground  almonds.  When  it  is  cold  add 
the  beaten  eggs,  pour  it  in  a  smooth  mold,  whose 
bottom  will  be  covered  with  a  film  of  liquified 
sugar  and  cook  in  a  double  boiler,  that  is  to  say 
put  the  mold  well  closed  in  a  kettle  full  of  boiling 
water. 

When  cooked  let  it  cool  and  place  in  ice-box 
before  serving. 


143 


206 
CRISP  CAKE  IN  DOUBLE  BOILER 

(Cr ocean te  a  bagno  maria) 

Sugar,  five  and  a  half  ounces. 

Sweet  almonds,  three  ounces. 

Egg-yolks,  five. 

Milk,  one  pint. 

Skin  the  almonds  and  chop  them  in  little  pieces 
about  as  big  as  a  grain  of  wheat.  Put  on  the  fire 
two  thirds  of  the  sugar  and  when  it  is  all  melted 
pour  the  almonds  and  stir  continually  with  the 
ladle  until  they  have  taken  the  color  of  cinna- 
mon. Then  put  them  in  a  tin  greased  with  butter 
and  when  they  are  cold,  pound  them  very  fine 
with  the  remaining  third  of  sugar. 

Add  the  yolks  and  then  the  milk,  mix  well  and 
pour  the  mixture  in  a  mold  with  a  hole  in  the 
middle  and  greased  evenly  with  butter.  Place  the 
mold  in  a  double  boiler  so  that  it  will  be  cooked 
by  steam. 

206 

STUFFED  PEACHES 
(Pesche  ripiene) 

Six  big  peaches  not  very  ripe. 

Four  or  five  lady-finger  biscuits. 

Granulated  sugar,  three  ounces. 

Two  ounces  sweet  almonds  with  three  peach 

kernels. 
Candied  fruit  (angelica)  half  an  ounce. 

144 


Cut  the  peaches  in  two  parts,  remove  the 
stones  and  enlarge  somewhat  the  cavity  where 
they  were  with  the  point  of  a  knife.  Mix  the 
peach  pulp  that  you  extract  with  the  almonds, 
already  skinned,  and  grind  the  pulp  and  almonds 
very  fine  together  with  two  ounces  of  the  sugar. 
To  this  mixture  add  the  lady-fingers  crumbed 
and  the  candied  fruits.  Cut  in  very  small  cubes. 
This  will  be  the  stuffing  with  which  you  will  fill 
the  cavities  of  the  twelve  halves  of  peach.  These 
you  will  place  in  a  row  in  a  baking  tin,  with  the 
stuffing  above.  Add  the  remaining  ounce  of  su- 
gar and  bake  in  oven  with  a  moderate  fire. 

207 

MILK  GNOCCHI 
(Gnocchi  di  latte) 

One  quart  of  milk. 

Sugar,  nine  ounces. 

Starch  in  powder,  four  ounces. 

Eight  yolks  of  eggs. 

A  taste  of  vanilla. 

Mix  everything  together  as  you  would  do  for 
a  cream  and  put  on  the  fire  in  a  saucepan,  conti- 
nually stirring  with  a  ladle.  When  the  mixture 
has  become  hard  keep  it  a  few  moments  more  on 
the  fire  and  then  pour  it  in  a  plate  to  make  it 
about  half  an  inch  thick  and  cut  it  into  diamonds 
when  it  is  cold.  Put  these  diamonds  one  over  the 
other  with  symmetry  in  a  baking  tin  or  in  a  fire- 

145 


proof  glass  plate,  with  some  little  pieces  of  butter 
in  between  and  brown  them  a  little  in  the  oven. 
Serve  hot. 

208 

SABAYON 

(Zabaione) 

Yolks  of  three  eggs. 

Granulated  sugar,  two  ounces. 

Marsala  or  sherry  wine,  five  tablespoonfuls. 

A  dash  of  cinnamon. 

First  stir  with  the  ladle  the  yolks  and  the  su- 
gar until  they  become  almost  white,  then  add  the 
wine.  When  ready  to  serve,  place  the  saucepan 
in  another  one  containing  hot  water  and  beat 
until  the  sugar  is  melted  and  the  egg  begins  to 
thicken. 

SYRUPS 
(Sciroppi) 

The  syrups  of  acidulated  fruits,  diluted  with 
ice  water  are  refreshing  and  pleasant  beverages, 
greatly  appreciated  during  the  summer  months. 
It  is  well,  however,  not  to  drink  them  until  the 
digestion  is  completed,  because  they  may  disturb 
it,  on  account  of  the  sugar  that  they  contain. 

209 
RED  CURRANT  OR  GOOSEBERRY  SYRUP 

(Sciroppo  di  ribes) 

Remove  the  stems  from  the  bunches  of  goose- 
berry and  place  them  in  an  earthen  vase,  to  be 

146 


kept  in  a  cool  place.  When  it  has  begun  to  fer- 
ment (which  may  happen  after  three  or  four 
days)  sink  the  surface  film  and  stir  with  a  ladle 
twice  a  day,  continuing  this  operation  until  it 
has  stopped  raising.  Then  put  in  a  cheese  cloth, 
letting  the  juice  come  out  through  pressing  with 
the  hands  or  in  a  machine.  Pass  the  juice  through 
a  filter,  two  or  three  times  if  necessary,  until  you 
obtain  a  limpid  liquid.  Then  put  it  on  the  fire 
and  when  it  begins  to  boil  pour  in  it  granulated 
sugar  and  citric  acid  in  the  following  propor- 
tions : 

Liquid,  six  pounds. 

Sugar,  eight  pounds. 

Citric  acid,  one  ounce. 

That  is  to  say  for  each  three  parts  of  the  liquid, 
add  four  parts  of  sugar,  and  one  ounce  of  citric 
acid  for  eight  pounds  of  sugar  mixed  with  six 
pounds  of  liquid. 

Stir  continually  with  the  ladle  so  that  the  su- 
gar does  not  stick  to  the  bottom,  taste  it  to  add 
some  more  citric  acid  if  you  judge  it  necessary, 
then  let  it  cool  and  place  in  bottles  to  be  sealed. 

When  a  beverage  is  to  be  prepared  pour  in  a 
tumbler  less  than  half  an  inch  of  syrup  for  a 
tumblerful  of  ice  water. 


147 


210 

RASPBERRY  SYRUP 
(Sciroppo  di  lam  pone) 

This  is  prepared  like  the  other  explained  above 
but,  since  this  fruit  contains  less  gluten  than  the 
gooseberry  the  period  of  fermentation  will  be 
briefer.  The  large  quantity  of  sugar  used  in  these 
syrups  is  necessary  for  their  conservation  and  the 
citric  acid  is  used  to  correct  the  excessive  sweet- 
ness. 

211 

LEMON  SYRUP 
(Sciroppo  di  limone) 

Three  big  lemons. 

One  and  a  half  pound  of  sugar. 

A  tumbler  of  water. 

Skin  the  lemons,  removing  the  internal  pulp 
without  squeezing  it  and  taking  off  all  seeds. 

Put  the  water  on  the  fire  with  the  skin  of  one 
of  the  lemons  cut  in  a  thin  ribbon  like  strip  with 
a  small  knife.  When  the  water  is  near  boiling 
put  in  the  sugar  then  remove  the  lemon  skin  and 
immerse  the  pulp  of  the  three  lemons.  Boil  until 
the  syrup  is  condensed  and  cooked  right,  which 
is  known  by  the  pearls  that  it  makes  boiling  and 
the  color  of  white  wine  that  is  acquires.  Preserve 
in  a  bottle,  and  when  needed,  dilute  in  a  tumbler 
of  ice  water.  A  small  quantity  will  make  a  de- 
lightful beverage. 

148 


212 
HARD  BLACK-BERRY  SYRUP 

(Sciroppo  di  amarena) 

Use  hard  but  ripe  black  berries.  They  must  be 
of  the  sour  kind  but,  as  said,  they  must  not  be 
unripe.  Remove  the  stems  and  put  the  berries  into 
a  vase  with  a  good  piece  of  whole  cinnamon. 
The  fermentation  will  happen  after  48  hours  and 
as  soon  as  the  berries  begin  to  rise,  stir  them 
from  time  to  time.  Then  press  them  to  extract 
the  juice,  with  a  pressing  machine  if  you  have 
one,  or  with  your  hands,  squeezing  them  a  few 
at  a  time  in  cheese  cloth. — When  the  liquid  has 
rested  for  a  while,  filter  it  until  it  becomes  quite 
clear.  When  it  has  been  depurated,  put  it  on  the 
fire  in  the  following  proportion  and  with  the 
piece  of  cinnamon  that  was  already  immersed  in 
the  cherries:  Twelve  pounds  of  liquid  to  sixteen 
pounds  of  sugar  and  two  ounces  of  citric  acid, 
or  three  parts  of  liquid  to  four  of  sugar  and  the 
citric  acid  as  in  the  above  proportion. 

Before  putting  in  the  sugar  and  the  citric  acid 
wait  until  the  liquid  is  quite  hot,  just  before  boil- 
ing. Then  stir  continually.  The  boiling  must  be 
brief,  four  or  five  minutes  are  sufficient  to  incor- 
porate the  sugar  in  the  liquid. 

When  removing  the  syrup  from  the  fire,  put 
it  in  an  earthen  vase  and  bottle  when  quite  cold. 
Cork  the  bottles  well  and  keep  in  a  cool  place. 

149 


213 
ORGEAT 

(Orzata) 

Sweet  almonds  with  1 0  or  12  bitter  ones,  seven 
ounces. 

Water,  one  and  half  pounds. 

Granulated  sugar,  two  pounds. 

Skin  the  almonds  and  grind  them  very  fine, 
or  better  pound  them  in  a  mortar,  moistening 
from  time  to  time  with  orange  flower  water,  of 
which  you  will  use  about  two  tablespoonfuls. 

When  the  almonds  have  been  reduced  to  a 
paste,  dissolve  the  latter  in  one  third  of  the  water 
and  filter  the  juice  through  a  cheese  cloth,  squeez- 
ing hard.  Put  the  paste,  back  in  the  grinder  or  in 
the  mortar,  grind  or  pound  again,  then  filter  again 
with  another  third  of  the  water.  Repeat  the  same 
operation  for  a  third  time,  then  put  on  the  fire 
the  liquid  so  obtained  and  just  before  boiling 
put  the  sugar,  mix,  stir  and  boil  for  about  twenty 
minutes.  Let  it  cool,  then  bottle  and  keep  in  a 
cool  place.  The  orgeat  does  not  ferment  and  the 
thick  liquid  may  be  diluted  in  water,  half  an  inch 
for  a  whole  tumbler  of  iced  water. 


150 


PRESERVES 

214 
APRICOT  MARMALADE 

(Conserva  di  albicocche) 

Use  good  and  ripe  apricots.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
believe  that  jam  or  marmalade  can  be  obtained 
with  any  kind  of  fruit.  Take  off  the  stones,  put 
them  on  the  fire  without  water  and  while  they 
boil,  stir  with  a  ladle  to  reduce  them  to  pulp. 
When  they  have  boiled  for  about  half  an  hour, 
rub  them  through  a  sieve  to  separate  the  pulp  of 
the  fruit  from  the  skins  that  are  to  be  thrown 
away,  then  put  them  back  on  the  fire  with  gra- 
nulated sugar  in  the  proportion  of  eight  tenths, 
that  is  to  say  eight  pounds  of  sugar  for  ten 
pounds  of  apricot  pulp.  Stir  often  with  the  ladle 
until  the  mixture  acquires  the  firmness  of  mar- 
malade, which  will  be  known  by  putting  from 
time  to  time  a  teaspoonful  in  a  plate  and  seeing 
that  it  flows  slowly. 

When  ready,  remove  from  the  fire,  let  it  cool, 
and  then  put  in  vases  well  covered  and  with  a 
film  of  paraffine  or  tissue  paper  dipped  in  alco- 
hol, so  that  the  air  may  not  pass  in. 

215 

PRESERVE  OF  QUINCE 
(Conserva  di  cotogne  soda) 

The  ingredients  are  quinces,  peeled  and  with 
the  core  removed,  and  granulated  sugar,  in  the 

151 


proportion  of  eight  tenths  of  quinces  to  five 
tenths  of  sugar,  or  a  little  more  than  one  and  a 
half  quinces  for  one  part  of  sugar. 

Dissolve  the  sugar  on  the  fire  with  half  a  glass 
of  water,  boil  a  little,  then  remove  from  the  fire 
and  put  aside. 

Cut  the  quinces — peeled  and  coreless — in  very 
thin  slices  and  put  them  on  the  fire  with  a  glass 
of  water,  supposing  the  quantity  to  be  about  two 
pounds.  Keep  covered,  but  stir  once  in  a  while 
with  the  ladle,  trying  to  break  the  slices  and  re- 
duce them  to  a  paste.  When  the  quinces  are 
made  tender  through  cooking,  pour  in  the  thick 
syrup  of  sugar  already  prepared,  mix  and  stir 
and  let  the  mixture  boil  with  the  cover  removed 
until  the  preserve  is  ready,  which  will  be  known 
when  it  begins  to  fall  like  shreds  when  taken  up 
with  the  ladle. 

Let  it  cool  and  put  in  well  covered  jars. 

ICES 
(Gelati) 

Although  it  is  in  America  that  there  £s  a 
greater  consumption  of  ice  cream,  it  is  in  Italy 
that  it  was  first  made,  and  in  various  European 
capitals  it  is  the  Italian  gelatiere  who  prepares 
the  frozen  delicacy.  A  few  Italian  recipes  of  gelati 
will  then  be  acceptable,  we  believe,  as  a  con- 
clusion to  this  little  work. 

152 


216 

BISCUIT 
(Pezzo  in  gelo) 

Make  a  cream  with : 

Water,  five  ounces. 

Sugar,  two  ounces. 

The  yolks  of  four  eggs. 

A  taste  of  vanilla. 

Put  it  on  the  fire  stirring  continually  and 
when  it  begins  to  stick  to  the  ladle  remove  from 
the  fire  and  whip  to  a  stiff  froth.  Then  mix  about 
five  ounces  of  ordinary  whipped  cream,  put  in 
a  mold  and  pack  in  salt  and  ice. 

Keep  in  ice  for  about  three  hours. 

This  dose  will  be  sufficient  for  seven  or  eight 
persons. 

217 

LEMON  ICE 
(Gelato  di  limone) 

Granulated  sugar,  24  Ib. 

Water,  a  pint. 

Lemons,  three  (good  sized). 

Boil  the  sugar  in  the  water,  with  some  little 
pieces  of  lemon  peel,  for  about  ten  minutes,  in 
an  uncovered  kettle.  When  this  syrup  is  cold, 
squeeze  the  lemons  one  at  the  time,  tasting  the 
mixture  to  regulate  the  degree  of  acidity.  Then 
strain  and  put  in  the  freezer  packed  with  salt 
and  ice. 

153 


218 

STRAWBERRY  ICE 
(Gelato  di  fragola) 

Ripe  strawberries,  24  Ib. 

Granulated  sugar,  24  Ib. 

Water,  one  pint. 

A  big  lemon. 

An  orange. 

Boil  the  sugar  in  the  water  for  ten  minutes  in 
an  uncovered  kettle.  Rub  through  a  sieve  the 
strawberries  and  the  juice  of  the  lemon  and  the 
orange :  add  the  syrup  after  straining,  mix  every- 
thing and  pour  the  mixture  in  the  freezer. 

219 

ORANGE  ICE 
(Gelato  di  aranci) 

Four  big  oranges. 
-One  lemon. 

One  pint  of  water. 

Sugar,  %  Ib. 

Squeeze  the  oranges  and  the  lemon  and  strain 
the  juice. 

Boil  the  sugar  in  the  water  for  ten  minutes, 
put  in  the  juice  when  cold,  strain  again  and  put 
in  the  freezer. 


154 


220 

PISTACHE  ICE  CREAM 
(Gelato  di  pistacchi) 

Milk,  one  quart. 

Sugar,  six  ounces. 

Pistaches,  two  ounces. 

Skin  the  pistaches  in  warm  water  and  grind 
them  very  fine  with  a  tablespoonful  of  the  sugar, 
then  put  in  a  saucepan  with  the  yolks  and  the 
sugar,  mixing  everything  together.  Add  the  milk 
and  put  the  mixture  on  the  fire  stirring  with  the 
ladle  and  when  it  is  condensed  like  cream,  let  it 
cool  and  put  in  the  freezer. 

221 
TUTTI  FRUTTI 

To  make  this  ice  a  special  ice  cream  mold  is 
necessary,  or  a  tin  receptacle  that  can  be  closed 
hermetically. 

Take  several  varieties  of  fruits  of  the  season, 
ripe  and  of  good  quality,  that  is  to  say,  straw- 
berries, cherries,  plums,  apricots,  a  big  peach,  a 
good  sized  pear,  a  piece  of  good  cantaloupe.  Peel, 
skin  and  remove  stones  and  cores  of  all  these 
fruits.  Then  cut  them  into  very  thin  slices,  throw- 
ing away  the  cores  and  stones. 

When  the  fruit  is  prepared  in  this  manner, 
weigh  it,  and  sprinkle  over  one  fifth  of  its 
weight  of  powdered  sugar,  squeezing  also  one 

155 


lemon.  Mix  everything  and  let  the  mixture  rest 
for  half  an  hour. 

Put  a  sheet  of  paper  in  the  bottom  of  the  mold 
that  is  to  be  filled  with  the  fruit  pressed  together, 
close,  and  pack  in  salt  and  ice,  keeping  it  for  two 
hours  or  a  little  less. 

This  is  not  the  tutti  f rutti  ice  cream  as  is  known 
in  America,  but  a  macedoine  of  fruits,  that 
comes  very  pleasant  to  the  taste  in  the  summer 
months. 


151 


INDEX 


NUMBERS  REFER  TO  RECIPES 


African  hen,  143    

Almond,  cake,  189   

crisp  cake,  193  .... 
"          (roasted)    pudding, 

205  

Anchovy  sauce,  14 

Apricot  marmelade,  214  .  . . 
Artichockes,  with  butter,  31 

fried,  28 

in  mold,  96  .    . 

steamed,  29    . . 

stewed,  30   ... 

stuffed,  105   . . 

stuffed      with 

meat,    106    . 

with  sauce,  104 

Asparagus,    114    

Balsamella,  sauce,  59   

Bean  soup,  7 

Birds,    132 

Biscuit,  191   

Biscuit  (ice),  216 

Biscuit,  cripp,  183   

"       soft,    184     

"         sultan,  185 

wafer,  194 

Blackberry  syrup,  212 

Bread  soup,  3   

Breast  of  Veal  stuffed,  80. . 
Brittle  (see  crisp  cake)  .... 

Broth,  1    

Brown  stock,  13 

Cabbage,  stuffed,  112 

Cake,  almond,  189   

corn  meal,  190 

crisp,  206   

Madeleine,  192 

Margherita,  186 

portugaise,  196 

quince,  195 

Cakes,  farina,  198 

Caper   Sauce,  57    

Cappelletti,  soup,  2 

Cauliflower,  in  mold,  95  ... 


Page 

103 
129 
133 

143 
16 

151 
27 
25 
73 
26 
27 
78 

79 
78 
85 
46 
9 

95 

131 

153 

124 

125 

126 

134 

149 

Y 

62 

5 

15 

83 

129 

130 

144 

132 

127 

136 

135 

138 

45 

6 

72 


Page 

Cauliflower,  with  balsamel- 

la,  111 83 

Celery,  au  jus,  166 116 

dressing  103 77 

fried,  168 117 

puree,  169   117 

sauce  for,  167 116 

with  butter,  165      .  115 

Chicken  alia  cacciatora,  35.  30 
"          boned  and  stuffed, 

40    33 

"         breasts  saute,  45 ..  37 

"         fried,  34 29 

saute,  142 102 

stuffed,  139 100 

"          stuffing,   64    51 

with  ham,  141  ...  102 

with  egg  sauce,  44  37 

with   sausages,  43  36 

with  sherry,  42  ..  36 

with  tomatoes,    41  35 
"         with   sauce   piquan- 

te,   140    101 

Cod  fish,  boiled,  122,  123  .  .  90-91 

"          croquettes,  125    . .  91 

fried,  124 91 

Corn  meal,  cake,  190 130 

pie,    37    31 

"  with     sausages, 

36  30 

Crisp  cake  in  double  boiler, 

206    144 

Croquettes,  fried,  67   53 

Curly  tart,  188  129 

Currant,   syrup,  209    146 

Cutlets,  chopped  meat,  74 ..  58 

"        veal,  75 58 

stewed,  73   57 

"        stuffed,  76,  138  :  .  59-99 

Dog  fish,  fried,  126 92 

stewed,   127    92 

Duck,  tame,  144 104 

"       wild,  46    38 

Eels,  stewed,  118    88 

"      with  peas,  119 88 


157 


INDEX,  continued 


Eggs,  scrambled,  181   

"      with  ham,  179 

"      with  onion  sauce,  178 
"      with  tomato  sauce,  180 

Egg-plants,  fried,  100   

"          in  the  oven,  102 
"  stewed,  101  .    . 

Farina,  cakes,  198  

"         tart,  200    

Pish,  with  bread  crumbs,  116 
"       cutlets,  stewed,     116 

Fry,  Roman,  68,  69 

Gnocchi,  4    

"        milk,  207  

Hare,  roast,  135  

"     stewed,  51  

Ices,  biscuits,   216    

lemon,  217 

orange,  219   

pistache,  220 

strawberry,  218 

tutti  frutti,  221 

Kidney,  broiled,  152    

fried,  153 

"        saute,  71  .,. 

"         sliced  151 

"        with  anchovy,  150. . 

"       ome^t,  33 

Lamb,   lej?  of,   147    

omelet,    33    

"         shoulder.    79    

"        roast,    133    

"       with  peas,  78 

Lemon,  ice,  217 

"         pudding,  204   

"         syrup,  211    

Lentils,  soup,  9 

Liver,  loaf,  89    

Macaroni,     Napolitaine,    20 

fried  with  oil,  21 

au  gratin,  19  ... 

a  la  Corinna,  18 

"          with  anchovy 

sauce,  17   .... 
"  with   butter  and 

cheese,  15  .... 
"          with  tomato  sau- 
ce    or     brown 

stock,  16 

Macaroons,  197  


Page 

123 

122 

122 

123 

75 

76 

76 

138 

139 

86 

86 

54-55 
7 

145 

97 

42 

153 

153 

154 

155 

154 

155 

108 

108 

5<> 

107 

107 

61 

ion 

29 

61 

96 

61 

153 

142 

148 

10 

68 

20 

21 

19 

18 

18 
17 


18 
136 


Page 

Madeleine  cake,  192 132 

Mantona  tart,  187  128 

Margherita  cake,  186 127 

Marmelade,  apricot,  214  .  . .  151 

Meat,  Genovese,  86 65 

"   Omelet,  77 60 

"      stuffing,  65 52 

Milk  gnocchi,  207 145 

Minestrone,  9    11 

Mushrooms,  dried,  99 74 

"            fried,  97 73 

stewed,  98   ...  74 

Mussels,  with  egg  sauce,  120  89 
with  tomato  sauce, 

121  89 

Mutton,  cutlets,  84 54 

leg  of,  72,  134 57-96 

Omelet,  curled,  60  47 

lamb,  33  29 

veal  kidney,  61 48 

Onions,  stewed,  160 112 

stuffed,  159 112 

Orange,  ice,  219  154 

Orgeat,  syrup,  213 150 

Panata,  3  7 

Paste  for  frying,  63    50 

Pavese  soup,  10   11 

Peaches,  stuffed,  206  Bis   . .  144 

Peas,  with  corned  beef,  109  82 

with  ham,  108 81 

"      with  onion  sauce,  117  80 

Pigeon,  surprise,  137 98 

broiled,  148 106 

(See  Squabs) 

Pistache,  ice,  220 

Polenta  pie,  37   31 

"        with    sausages,    36, 

163    30-113 

Polpettone,   77    60 

Pork  liver  fried,  66 53 

"      roast,    146    105 

Portuguese  cake,  196 136 

Pot-roast,  130   94 

with  garlic,  131  .  95 

larded,  136 98 

Potato  pudding,  203   141 

Preserve,  quince,  215   151 


158 


INDEX,  continued 


Pudding,  bread,  202    

Genovese,  88   .... 
Lazelnuts,  182   . . . 

lemon,  204   

potato,  203  

rice  meal,  201  .... 
roasted     almonds, 

205  

Puff  Paste,  62   

Quince,  cake,  195   

preserve,  215  

Rabbit,  stewed,  52   

Raspberry  syrup,  210 

Ravioli,  10   

Rice,  cakes,  27   

"      meal  pudding,  201  .  . . 

"      pancakes,  70 

"      pudding  with   giblets, 

87    

"      tart,   199    

"      with  saffron,  26 

Risotto  Milanaise,  22   

"       with  chicken  giblets, 

23 
"       with  lobster,  25  ... 

"       with  peas,  24    

"       with  saffron,  26  ... 

Roast-beef,    128    

Rolls,  stuffed,  38 

Roman  fry,  68,  69 

Sabayon,  208  

Salmi  of  game,  50 

Sauce,  anchovy,  13 

"       balsamella,  59   

"      brown  stock,  12 

"       caper,  57   

for  broiled  fish,  56  . 

"       green,  53  

"      Genovese,  58 

"      tomato,  12 

"      white,  54  

"      yellow,  55 

Sausages  with  corn  meal,  163 
with  onions,  164  . 

Soup,  bean,  7   

"      bread,  7  

"       cappelletti,  2   

"      lentils,  8 

"       Pavese,  11   

"      Queen,  6  


Page  page 

141    Soup   stock,   1    5 

67        "       vegetables,  5 8 

124    Spaghetti,    11-15    13-17 

(see   Macaroni) 

141    Spinach,  side-dish,  113 84 

140    Squabs,  ragout,  48 39 

stewed,  47   39 

143          "        timbale,  49 40 

(See  Pigeons) 

135    Squash,  fried,  32   28 

151          "         stuffed,  91   69 

42  Steak  in  the  saucepan,    149  106 
148   Stewed  cutlets,  73  57 

11  Strauberry,  ice,  218 154 

25  String  beans  in  mold,  94  ...  71 

140                           saute,  92 70 

55  with  egg  sau- 
ce, 93    71 

66    Stufato,   170    117 

139                     French,  173 119 

24  "         Milanaise,  172  ...  118 

22         "       Southern,    171    118 

Stuffing,  chicken,  64 51 

22  "        meat,  65    52 

23  Sugo  di  carne,  13 15 

23  Sweet-breads,   157    110 

24  Syrup,  hard  blackberry,  212  149 

93          '        lemon,  211   148 

32          '       orgeat,  213 150 

54-55          '       raspberry,  210 148 

146         '      red  currant,  209 146 

41    Tart,  curly,  188   129 

15       '       farina,  200    139 

46       '       Mantona,  187   128 

14       '       rice,  199 139 

45  Tenderloin,  with  Marsala,  85  65 

45  "  with  spices,  158  111 

43  Tomato  sauce,  12 14 

46  "        stuffed,  110 82 

14   Tongue,  boiled,  154 108 

43  stewed,  156   109 

44  "        with  olives,  155  ...  109 

113  Tripe  with  gravy,  82 63 

114  Trout,  Alpine,  174   120 

9        "       fried,  176 121 

9        "       Lombard,  175 121 

6  "       with  anchovies,     177  121 

10   Turkey,   145    104 

12  Tutti  frutti,  ice,  221 155 

9   Veal,  breast,  80   62 

159 


INDEX,  continued 


Page 

Veal  cutlets,   75    68 

"     kidney  with    anchovy, 

150    107 

"     liver,  161 113 

"     fried,  162    113 

"     in  gravy,  83 63 

"     kidney  sliced,  151  ...  107 

Veal,  roast,  129 94 

"     stewed,  39 32 


Veal  with  gravy,  81   . . 

"      with  tunny,  90  . . 

Vegetable  chowder,  10 


soup,  7 

Wafer  biscuits,  194 

Whiting  with  anchovy   sau- 
ce, 117    

Zabaione,  208   

Zucchine,  32    


Page 
62 

68 

11 

8 

134 

87 

146 

28 


160 


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